 After the Elhuyar brothers isolated metallic tungsten in 1783 , Chabaneau collaborated with them in researching platinum . This did not last long , though , as the brothers had been appointed Directors General of Mining , and soon left Spain for South America . King Charles III created a public chair of mineralogy , physics and chemistry for Chabaneau in Madrid and provided him with a laboratory for his research . The Count d <unk> secured the government 's entire supply of platinum for Chabaneau 's laboratory . 
