Palladium

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/palladium

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Palladium?1802
2. What is the discoverer?William Hyde Wollaston
3. What is the atomic number?46
4. What is palladium and why does it look shiny?Palladium is a rare, silvery‑white metal that was discovered in 1802. It looks shiny because it is very lustrous and reflects light.
5. Why do cars need palladium?Cars use palladium in catalytic converters to turn bad gases into cleaner ones, helping keep the air clean.

Catalyst: A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing permanent change.
Platinum Group Metals (PGMs): A group of six rare, lustrous, silvery-white metals with similar chemical properties.
Hydrocarbons: Organic compounds consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon atoms, often found in fossil fuels and exhaust emissions.
Fuel Cell: An electrochemical device that converts chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with an oxidizing agent.