All articles tagged with #palladium
A tornado touched down on San Antonio’s Northwest Side near The Rim, causing damage at the Palladium and nearby apartment buildings as responders monitor the scene and provide live updates.
Researchers report a ligand-enabled palladium-catalyzed method that activates distal γ-C(sp3)–H bonds in unbiased aliphatic carboxylic acids (from fatty and cyclic feedstocks) using designed O-allyl amido ester ligands, directly furnishing distal desaturated γ-lactones and double-desaturated γ-spirolactones. Mechanistic data support Pd(II)-mediated γ-C(sp3)–H activation, followed by dehydrogenation and intramolecular cyclization; the approach enables rapid assembly of biologically relevant scaffolds (e.g., muricatacin) from simple acids, offering a streamlined route to complex natural products and pharmaceuticals.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station used bacteria and the fungus Penicillium simplicissimum to bioleach platinum and palladium from L-chondrite meteorite samples. The experiments showed microgravity enhances the fungus’s metal uptake and release, making space-based bioleaching more effective than on Earth and highlighting a potential path toward mining valuable metals in space, alongside ongoing asteroid-mining efforts like TransAstra.
Precious metals experienced record-breaking annual gains in 2025, with gold reaching its strongest performance in over four decades, silver and platinum more than doubling, and palladium posting its best year in 15 years, driven by geopolitical tensions, monetary easing, and supply shortages, though prices saw some profit-taking at year's end.
Gold prices retreated to a two-week low as the safe-haven rally driven by Middle East tensions lost momentum, with investors shifting focus to interest rate cues from Federal Reserve officials. Palladium also hit a five-year low, dropping 4.5%, due to concerns of a structural surplus next year and substitution from palladium to platinum. The decline in gold prices suggests reduced investor concerns about geopolitics. Traders also analyzed mixed economic data from China.
Scientists from TU Wien and universities in Japan have used computer simulations to identify palladium as the optimal material for achieving the highest transition temperatures in superconductors. Palladium's weaker electronic interaction compared to nickel and copper places it in the "golden zone" of medium interaction, making it a promising candidate for creating even better superconductors. The research could usher in a new "age of palladates" in superconductivity research and revolutionize the way we generate, transport, and use electricity.
Gold prices fell sharply on Friday and were headed for their worst week in eight as hawkish remarks by U.S. Federal Reserve officials through the week bolstered bets for at least one more interest rate hike and buoyed the dollar. Bullion has shed about 1.2% so far this week, pressured by the dollar's gains overall, which made bullion more expensive for overseas buyers. Platinum surged 2.7% to an over one-year high at $1,122.80, while palladium gained 1.1% to $1,604.74, on track for its best week since November.