What can a fabulously expensive thing be made of? The answer to this question can be found in our top ten, where are collected the most expensive materials in the world.
Without exception, all the participants in the Top 10 are characterized by low prevalence on Earth and unique properties. In addition, some materials are obtained exclusively in the laboratory as a result of complex and expensive manipulations.
10. Gold ($ 56 per gram)
Gold on Earth is really small, its content in the earth's crust is 0.5-5 μg / kg. For all the time of its existence, mankind has managed to extract about 161 thousand tons of precious metal. If all this gold is fused together, then you can get a cube with an edge of about 20 meters.
9. Rhodium ($ 58 per gram)
Noble metal was discovered in 1803 during the work with native platinum. Each year, less than 30 tons of this material is mined in the world, which contributes to its high cost. Deposits of metal are available in Russia, South Africa, Canada and Colombia.
8. Platinum ($ 60 per gram)
Ancient Native American civilizations have used platinum since time immemorial. But Europeans became acquainted with this metal only in the middle of the XVI century. More than 90% of the world's platinum reserves are concentrated in South Africa, Russia, the USA, Zimbabwe and China.
7. Rhino horn ($ 110 per gram)
In a rhino, a horn is not a bone, but a very densely fused stubble. In Chinese medicine, miraculous properties and the ability to heal any ailments are attributed to the horn. A person’s faith in the extraordinary capabilities of the horn cost hundreds of thousands of rhinos their lives and more than once set their eyes on the brink of extinction.
6. Plutonium ($ 4000 per gram)
A fragile radioactive silver-white metal is used in the production of nuclear weapons, fuel and as a source of energy for spacecraft. Plutonium is obtained from enriched and natural uranium. According to various estimates, the global plutonium reserves are about 1,200 tons.
5. Painitis ($ 9000 per gram)
The rare mineral got its name in honor of the discoverer, the mineralogist Arthur Payne. Until 2005, there were only 25 known painite crystals worldwide. However, deposits were later discovered in Burma, but proven reserves are also small.
4. Taaffeit ($ 20,000 per gram or $ 4,000 per carat)
A very rare expensive mineral discovered in 1945 by Count Taaffi. A precious lilac stone is a million times rarer than diamonds. This material is used exclusively in jewelry.
3. Diamond ($ 55,000 per gram)
The cut allows you to maximize the natural brilliance of an apparently unremarkable diamond, turning it into an incredibly valuable diamond. The diamond value is estimated according to the “4 C” system: clarity (purity), color (color of the stone), carat (weight), cut (cut quality).
2. California ($ 27,000,000 per gram)
The world's most expensive metal, a radioactive chemical element, was artificially produced in 1950 at the University of California, Berkeley. The process of getting California is incredibly expensive. But the unique properties of the element allow it to be used in neutron activation analysis, in the most complicated experiments on the study of nuclear fission, and in the radiation therapy of tumors.
1. Antimatter ($ 25 million per gram)
It is still difficult to assess the applied value of the world's most expensive material, but scientists unequivocally believe that humanity simply must learn to “mine” antimatter, forcing it to work for its own good. True, the scientists managed to “catch” a maximum of 309 antiprotons, which were held for only 15 minutes.
