Rhodium (Rh) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Rhodium element (Ru) is in group 9 and period 5 of a periodic table. Rhodium is in the d-block and it is classified as a transition element on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to rhodium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Rhodium element (Information Table)
• Rhodium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Rhodium
• Properties of Rhodium
• Uses of Rhodium

Rhodium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to rhodium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of rhodium	Silvery white metallic appearance
Atomic number of rhodium	45
Symbol of rhodium	Rh
Atomic mass of rhodium	102.91 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in rhodium	Protons: 45, Neutrons: 58, Electrons: 45
State of rhodium (at STP)	Solid
Group number of rhodium in periodic table	9
Period number of rhodium in periodic table	5
Block of rhodium in periodic table	d-block
Category of rhodium	Transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in rhodium	2, 8, 18, 16, 1
Electron configuration of rhodium	[Kr] 4d8 5s1
Orbital diagram of rhodium
Electronegativity of rhodium (on pauling scale)	2.28
Atomic radius of rhodium (van der Waals radius)	195 picometers
Density of rhodium	12.45 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of rhodium	7.459 eV
Main isotope of rhodium	103Rh
Melting point of rhodium	2237 K or 1964 °C or 3567 °F
Boiling point of rhodium	3968 K or 3695 °C or 6683 °F
Crystal structure of rhodium	Face Centered Cubic (FCC)
Discovery of rhodium	By William Hyde Wollaston in 1804

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Rhodium element in Periodic table

The Rhodium element (Rh) has the atomic number 45 and is located in group 9 and period 5. Rhodium is a metal and it is classified as a transition element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about rhodium

Here are a few interesting facts about rhodium element.

1. The name rhodium came from the Greek word “Rhodon” which means rose.
2. Rhodium was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1804.
3. The concentration of rhodium in the earth’s crust is very less and it is 1 part per 200 million.
4. Rhodium is obtained from the waste product of uranium fission.
5. Around 87% of the total rhodium is used in catalytic converters.

Properties of rhodium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of rhodium.

Physical properties of rhodium

• Rhodium is a solid metal that has a silvery white appearance.
• Rhodium is resistive to wear and it has a good hardness.
• The atomic mass of rhodium is 102.91 u and its density is 12.45 g/cm³.
• The melting point and boiling point of rhodium is 2237 K and 3968 K respectively.
• Rhodium has many isotopes, but the most abundant isotope is ¹⁰³Ru.
• Rhodium has a FCC crystal structure.

Chemical properties of rhodium

• The electronic configuration of rhodium is [Kr] 4d⁸ 5s¹ and it is a transition metal as it has incomplete d-orbitals.
• Rhodium is very less reactive to acids.
• Rhodium is also called a noble metal as it does not react easily with oxygen.
• Rhodium is resistive to corrosion.

Uses of rhodium

Here are some uses of the rhodium element.

• Rhodium is used in catalytic converters (these are used in cleaning the vehicle emissions).
• Rhodium is also added to platinum and iridium. This makes the alloy heat resistant at higher temperatures.
• Rhodium is used as a coating metal on crucibles as well as coating on optical fibers.
• Rhodium is used as a catalyst in preparation of nitric acid and acetic acid.

External resources:

1. Rhodium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Rhodium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/45/rhodium
2. Prohaska, T., et al. (2022, May 1). Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 94(5), 573–600. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0603
3. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
4. Rhodium – Wikipedia. (2007, December 10). Rhodium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodium
5. P. (n.d.). Rhodium | Rh (Element) – PubChem. Rhodium | Rh (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Rhodium
6. Bondi, A. (1964, March). van der Waals Volumes and Radii. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 68(3), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100785a001
7. Holden, et al. (2018, December 1). IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) for the Education Community (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(12), 1833–2092. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703
8. Zhang, et al. (2011, January 11). Corrected Values for Boiling Points and Enthalpies of Vaporization of Elements in Handbooks. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 56(2), 328–337. https://doi.org/10.1021/je1011086
9. It’s Elemental – The Element Rhodium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Rhodium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele045.html
10. Rhodium (Rh) | AMERICAN ELEMENTS ® (n.d.). American Elements: The Materials Science Company. https://www.americanelements.com/rh.html
11. Atomic Data for Rhodium (Rh). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Rhodium (Rh). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/rhodiumtable1.htm
12. C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – RHODIUM. (n.d.). C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – RHODIUM. https://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/80th/rhodium.html?
13. Kaye, G W.C., & Laby, T H. Tables of physical and chemical constants. 15th Edition. United States.
14. Sansonetti, J. E., & Martin, W. C. (2005, December). Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopic Data. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 34(4), 1559–2259. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1800011