The third platinum group metal to be discovered became a key factor in the fight against urban pollution.

In 1804, William Hyde Wollaston took his discoveries further. From the chloride salts which remained after obtaining palladium from platinum, with aqua regia (a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acid), he isolated a third distinct metal. By reduction with hydrogen gas, rhodium metal was obtained and named after the Greek for "rose" (rhodon) due to the pinkish hue of the salts.

ay, it is produced as a by-product of platinum mining and refining and of nickel mining in Ontario's copper-nickel sulfide region, Sudbury.
In 1984, rhodium's price increased significantly following greater d

In 1984, rhodium's price increased significantly following greater demand for the metal in catalytic converters. Its catalytic qualities and strength were crucial to improving the converters' effectiveness.