2. Uses

Platinum is the leading high-tech metal. Over the last few decades, scientific research has led to a wide range of uses for platinum as a result of its very special properties. In addition to industrial uses, platinum's scarcity and strategic nature have led to its increasing importance in investment portfolios, as investors lose interest in gold and silver. The main traditional uses of platinum and platinoids are as follows:

• catalyst for cleaning exhaust gases from gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles (platinum and palladium);

• catalyst for at least partial destruction of fumes and odors from many industries that generate volatile organic compounds or destroy hazardous waste;

• cracking catalyst for petroleum products ;

• catalyst for nitric acid...