Platinum has a wide range of uses in various industries, including:

• Catalytic converters: Platinum is used extensively in catalytic converters for cars, trucks, and buses, accounting for about 50% of demand each year. It is very effective at converting emissions from the vehicle’s engine into less harmful waste products.

• Chemicals industry: Platinum is used as a catalyst for the production of nitric acid, silicone, and benzene. It is also used to improve the efficiency of fuel cells.

• Electronics industry: Platinum is used to make computer hard disks, thermocouples, optical fibers, LCDs, turbine blades, and spark plugs.

• Jewelry: Platinum is used extensively for jewelry due to its rarity, bright white color, satisfying weight, hardness, and resistance to tarnishing.

• Medical industry: Platinum compounds are important chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancers. Platinum is also used in pacemakers and dental fillings due to its hypoallergenic properties.

• Laboratory equipment: Platinum wire is used for electrodes, and platinum pans and supports are used in thermogravimetric analysis. Platinum is also used in noncorrosive laboratory containers and medical instruments.

• Glass industry: Platinum is used in the glass industry to manipulate molten glass which does not "wet" platinum.

• Bullion: Platinum is traded as bullion and is used as an investment.

Platinum is also used in other unexpected ways, such as slowing or stopping the division of living cells in certain chemical forms, making cars safer, and as a heavy metal in measuring density.