Pd
Palladium
Element 46 · Transition metal
Palladium (Pd)
Palladium is a soft, silvery-white platinum-group metal. It can soak up hundreds of times its own volume of hydrogen gas.
- Transition metal
- Period 5
- Group 10
- d-block
- solid at room temperature
Key properties
- Atomic mass
- 106.42
- u
- Electron configuration
- [Kr] 4d10
- Melting point
- 1,554.9 °C
- 1,828.05 K
- Boiling point
- 2,962.9 °C
- 3,236 K
- Density
- 12 g/cm³
- Electronegativity
- 2.2
- Pauling
- Atomic radius
- 202 pm
- van der Waals
- 1st ionisation energy
- 8.337 eV
Compare with every element:Electronegativity chartAtomic radius chartIonisation energy chartDensity chart of the elementsMelting point chartElectron configuration chart
Did you know?
Notable facts about palladium
- 01
Wollaston first sold palladium anonymously through a shop rather than publishing his discovery.
- 02
Most palladium goes into catalytic converters for petrol cars.
- 03
Palladium catalysts made the 2010 Nobel Prize-winning cross-coupling reactions possible.
Applications
What is palladium used for?
- Catalytic converters
- Electronics (capacitors)
- Dental alloys
- Hydrogen purification
History
Discovery & name origin
Discovered by
Year
Where
England
Name origin
From the asteroid Pallas, discovered a year earlier.
Atomic structure
Atomic properties
Atomic structure
Atomic properties
- Atomic number
- 46
- Atomic mass
- 106.42 u
- Group
- 10
- Period
- 5
- Block
- d-block
- Electron configuration
- [Kr] 4d10
- Full configuration
- 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d10 4p6 4d10
- Electrons per shell
- 2, 8, 18, 18
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- 2.2
- Electron affinity
- 0.557 eV
- Atomic radius (van der Waals)
- 202 pm
- Stable isotopes
- 6
Oxidation states
Highlighted: common oxidation states (+3, +2).
Successive ionisation energies
Energy to remove each electron in turn (kJ/mol). Big jumps show where a new, inner shell begins.
- 1st804.4
- 2nd1,870
- 3rd3,177
Physical
Physical properties & colour
Physical
Physical properties & colour
- State at 20 °C
- Solid
- Melting point
- 1,828.05 K · 1,554.9 °C · 2,830.8 °F
- Boiling point
- 3,236 K · 2,962.9 °C · 5,365.1 °F
- Density
- 12 g/cm³
- Molar heat capacity
- 25.98 J/(mol·K)
- Appearance
- Silvery white
- CPK model colour
- Copied
The CPK colour is the convention used for this element’s atoms in molecular models.
FAQ
Palladium questions
What is Pd on the periodic table?
Pd is the symbol for palladium, element 46 on the periodic table. It sits in group 10, period 5, in the transition metal category, and has an atomic mass of 106.42.
What is the atomic number of palladium?
Palladium has atomic number 46, so every palladium atom has 46 protons in its nucleus. Its symbol is Pd and its atomic mass is 106.42.
Who discovered palladium?
Palladium was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1803 (England). The name comes from from the asteroid Pallas, discovered a year earlier.
What is palladium used for?
Palladium is used for: catalytic converters; electronics (capacitors); dental alloys; hydrogen purification.
Is palladium a metal?
Yes. Palladium is a transition metal, one of the metallic elements.
What is the electron configuration of palladium?
The electron configuration of palladium is [Kr] 4d10. Its 46 electrons are arranged in shells as 2, 8, 18, 18.