Adapted from an image by John Jackson (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.
1766–1828
William Hyde Wollaston
Discovered rhodium and palladium in 1803.
Elements
45RhRhodium
1803
In 1803 William Hyde Wollaston, in London, dissolved platinum ore and, after removing the platinum and palladium, was left with a rose-red solution. From it he made a new metal and named it rhodium, from the Greek for rose.
46PdPalladium
1803
In 1803 William Hyde Wollaston found a new metal while purifying platinum. He put it on sale anonymously as a new silver, and only in 1805 revealed himself as the discoverer. He named it palladium, after the newly found asteroid Pallas.
Keep exploring
Where the dates and stories on this page come from; each event on the timeline links to its own source.
- William Hyde WollastonEncyclopaedia Britannica
- RhodiumRoyal Society of Chemistry
- PalladiumRoyal Society of Chemistry
- William Hyde WollastonWikipedia