Rhodium - used in cars, drugs... and aftershave

Rhodium is an expensive precious metal that is used in catalytic convertors, to make the Parkinson's drug L-DOPA, create shiny jewellery and add the menthol taste to toothpaste, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 71 of Elemental.

Rhodium is a very expensive precious metal, whose major use is in catalytic convertors, as it is very good at reducing levels of nitrogen oxides.

The metal is used in mirrors and optical fibres, and as it is very shiny it is sometimes used as a coating for jewellery made from cheaper metals.

Rhodium turns up in lip balm, cough remedies, toothpaste and aftershave, because rhodium catalysts are used to make synthetic menthol flavours, says Professor Allan Blackman from the Auckland University of Technology, in episode 71 of Elemental.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details