Platinum in Europe

The new metal, platinum, occurred in South America. The chemical knowledge existed in Europe. In the middle of the 18 century samples of platinum found their way over the Atlantic and reached laboratories in England, Germany, France and Sweden. 

Watson s achievements aroused curiosity about platinum in Europe. The French chemist A. F. de Fourcxoy wrote at the end of the century  

These first attempts, which announced very extraordinary properties for the new metal, made a great commotion in Europe at a time when the discovery of a metal, as singular as this, appeared to be a quite unexpected phenomenon. Then the great chemists of Europe set to work on platinum and its distinctive properties. 

In London WiUiam Lewis continued the work with platinum that Wilham Watson had begun. In 1754 he presented a paper to the Royal Sodety with the title Experimental Examination of a white metallic Substance said to be found in the Gold Mines of the Spanish West Indies, and there known as by the Appellations of Platina, Platina di Pinto, Juan Blanca. In five papers he described his findings about the new metal  

Lewis made many attempts to melt platinum by alloying with other metals and he tried, in the same way, to make platinum more malleable. He succeeded in melting the alloys but he made little progress regarding ductility. When platinum was melted together with an equal part of gold a brittle alloy was obtained. 

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