Posting this at 12:00 AM EDT, at the start of January 14 on the east coast.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRESIDENT TRUMP!
The element with atomic number 78 is Platinum [Pt]. Platinum is one of the rarest elements on Earth; one reason for its high value.
It – along with four other elements in its Period Table "subgroup" (Ruthenium [Ru], Rhodium [Rh], Palladium [Pd], Iridium [Ir]) – is highly resistant to wear & tarnish, is an excellent catalyst, and has good resistance to chemical attack.
Platinum will not oxidize in air, so it's very useful in making jewelry. It's also used in catalytic converters, where it converts harmful unburned hydrocarbons in car exhaust fumes into CO2 & water.
The Spaniards who conquered Columbia [in South America] long ago were fascinated to discover a metal that looked like silver [Ag] – but didn't tarnish – that they found alongside silver in the river Pinto. They named it platina (little silver).
Platinum electrodes reacting with chloride and ammonium ions form a compound that became the foundation of the drug cisplatin. This chemotherapy drug has been very effective in stopping the growth of cancers in some internal organs.
President Trump, be like platinum on your birthday, as you are every day. Shine, resist wear & tarnish, and offer therapy to others. But don't get stolen.
+++
Happy Birthday, Mr. President! And many more!
