Credit for the modern rediscovery of platinum is usually given to Antonio de Ulloa. Platinum is a soft, dense, ductile metal that is very resistant to corrosion. It is used to make jewelry, wire, electrical contacts and laboratory vessels.Platinum expands at nearly the same rate as soda-lime-silica glass, so it is used to make sealed electrodes in glass systems.istory and Uses: Used by the pre-Columbian Indians of South America, platinum wasn't noticed by western scientists until 1735. Platinum can occur free in nature and is sometimes found in deposits of gold-bearing sands, primarily those found in the Ural mountains, Columbia and the western United States.