Palladium powder, together with ruthenium, rhodium, osmium iridium and platinum form a group of elements referred to as the platinum group metals (PGM). It is a lustrous silvery-white metal and has a face-centered cubic crystalline structure; at ordinary temperatures. Moreover, it is strongly resistant to corrosion in air and to the action of acids and it is attacked by hot acids. It easily dissolves in aqua regia. It produces many compounds and several complex salts. Palladium has a great capacity to absorb hydrogen (up to 900 times its own volume).

It exhibits corrosion resistance property. Because of that property, a major use of palladium is in alloys used in low voltage electrical contacts. When it is finely divided, palladium forms a good catalyst and is employed to speed up hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. Palladium powder is utilized extensively in jewelry-making in certain alloys called “white gold.”

Palladium powder: It may be alloyed with platinum and it is used in watch bearings, springs, and balance wheels. It is also utilized for mirrors in scientific instruments. In the past, most catalytic converters relied on platinum to decrease emissions from car exhausts; however, while this metal is still indispensable, palladium is now the major ingredient because this is even more efficient at removing unburnt and partially burnt hydrocarbons from the fuel.

Nowadays, Palladium powder is more and more employed in electrical appliances. It is employed in widescreen televisions, computers, and mobile phones, in the form of tiny multi-layer ceramic capacitors, of which more than 400 billion are made each year. It is alloyed with silver, gold, and copper for use in dentistry. Palladium salts are applied in electroplating.

Most palladium powder is employed in catalytic converters for cars. In the electronic devices, these devices consist of layers of palladium sandwiched between layers of ceramic. Hydrogen easily diffuses through heated palladium. This provides a way of separating and purifying the gas.