Rhodium | Chemistry

Vilas School, Vilas, Colorado, U.S.A.

Rhodium: The word rhodium came from the Greek word rhodon meaning “rose”. This is why I chose to put a rose in the tile. Also, the metal rhodium is composed of only one isotope therefore there is only a single rose and nothing else in the picture. This demonstrates the idea that there is one isotope and shows how rare and precious the metal really is. Since rhodium is a silvery white and a hard metal I chose to make the rose metallic and lustrous.

Original artwork by Breanna Paige Stafford, Teacher: Elaine Riegel, Vilas School, Vilas, Colorado, U.S.A.

Atomic properties*

Name:

Rhodium

Symbol:

Rh

Atomic number:

45

Atomic mass:

102.91 amu

Melting point:

1964°C

Boiling point:

3695°C

Density:

12.4 g/cm³

Electronegativity:

2.28

# of Isotopes:

2

State:

Solid

Colour:

Silvery-white-metallic±

Classification:

Metallic±

* Haynes, W. M. (2011). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 91st edition: http://www.hbcponline.com/ Retrieved April 7, 2011

± Winter, M. (2010). Home of the Periodic Table. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from Web Elements: http://www.webelements.com/