Platinum is a silvery white metal and is highly unreactive then why it's powdered form "platinum black" is platinum metal but is black in colour. why would a metal such as platinum become black as a powder?
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
5
-
$\begingroup$ Might be related to light scattering from small particles of platinum (platinum black is a fine powder) vs. bulk, but not sure. Good question! $\endgroup$– Todd MinehardtCommented Feb 11, 2016 at 17:19
-
5$\begingroup$ @ToddMinehardt is right, it's not about the chemistry, it's about the physics of how light interacts with it. As good as a question as it is, I'm flagging it as off-topic for Chem.SE, as it more properly belongs on Physics.SE. $\endgroup$– hBy2PyCommented Feb 11, 2016 at 17:27
-
1$\begingroup$ @ToddMinehardt For reference, this answer on Physics.SE has a short paragraph about a related modification of $\ce{Pt}$ that also leads to a black color. $\endgroup$– hBy2PyCommented Feb 11, 2016 at 17:41
-
$\begingroup$ I wrote a relevant answer in a past question. $\endgroup$– Nicolau Saker NetoCommented Feb 12, 2016 at 8:38
-
$\begingroup$ While the answer might be that's it's a physical effect rather than a chemical one, the question is still about a particular compound and the user wouldn't have known that it was a physical effect or else they wouldn't have asked here, so I'm glad the hold was removed. $\endgroup$– Tyberius ♦Commented Mar 27, 2019 at 14:05
Add a comment
|