12-02
12-02. Platinum #7.
From a resource by N. Uspenski and S Konobejewski.
November
Aragonite, Gold, Graphite (2), Platinum, Sklodowskite,
12-01
12-01. Platinum #6.
Platinum, atoms’ symmetry variation.
From a resource by W. Davey.
11-30
11-30. Platinum #6.
From a resource by W. Davey.
11-29
11-29. Platinum #4.
From a resource by H. Kahler.
11-28
11-28. Platinum #3.
If you care to reconcile Mathematics and Nature, Platinum, also called the “environment mineral” is a good option. Its crystal is cubic in nature and comes as hexoctahedron or tetrahexahedron. Nice 3-fold symmetry too!
From a resource by A. Hull
11-27
11-27. Platinum #2.
From a resource by E. Owen & E. Yates.
11-26
11-26. Platinum #1.
Mysterious and more precious than Gold, Platinum is going to be the mineral for week #48.
Known for a long time by pre-Columbian cultures, 16th-century Italian scholar J. J. Scaliger describes it as a strange metal found in mines between Panama and Mexico that no fire or any of the Spanish arts could melt. A few hundred years later, Platinum has become a choice component of precious jewelry and anti-pollution devices. It is stable, durable, and does not corrode. It also facilitates chemical reactions without being altered. Some call it the “Environment metal”.
Platinum’s geometry is fascinating too — from cubic to hexoctahedral, it is one of the rare crystals in nature with the shape of a tetrahexahedron – 24 congruent isosceles triangles, four to each face of a cube.
This is the first iteration of this unique and uncommon crystal. From a two-dimensional perspective, its geometry lends itself to very attractive stain glass window design.
