Which precious metal is the lightest of the platinum group?

Which precious metal is the lightest of the platinum group? Palladium is the lightest, meaning it has the lowest density among the six platinum-group metals.

Palladium’s density is about 12.02 grams per cubic centimetre, substantially below platinum’s roughly 21.45 grams per cubic centimetre. This makes palladium jewelry noticeably lighter than platinum jewelry of the same size, even though both belong to the same precious-metal family.

The wording can cause confusion because “lightest” might suggest atomic mass. Palladium is not the platinum-group element with the lowest atomic mass; ruthenium is lighter by that measure. In standard precious-metals descriptions, however, “lightest” refers to density, and palladium is the accepted answer.

Palladium was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1803 and named after the asteroid Pallas. Beyond jewelry and dental alloys, it is important in catalytic converters, electronics, hydrogen purification, and chemical catalysis.