Which element has the chemical symbol Pt and atomic number 78?

Platinum has the chemical symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, silvery-white transition metal in Group 10 of the periodic table.

The symbol Pt comes from the Spanish word platina, meaning “little silver.” Spanish colonists encountered platinum in South America and initially treated it as an unwanted impurity in gold deposits because it was difficult to melt with the technology then available.

Platinum is valued for its resistance to corrosion and its catalytic properties. It is used in catalytic converters, laboratory equipment, jewelry, electrical contacts, and chemical manufacturing.

Platinum is often confused with palladium because both are precious metals in the platinum-group family. Palladium has atomic number 46, while platinum's atomic number is 78.