The National Insurance Crime Bureau is warning consumers about a nationwide spike in thefts of catalytic converters. Show WHITE HOUSE OMITTED BLAME ON RUSSIA IN PREVIOUS TAP INTO US STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVES A catalytic converter is a device that uses precious metals such as rhodium, palladium and platinum to turn an engine's environmentally hazardous exhaust into less harmful gases. An employee is working on an SCR catalytic converter for retrofitting diesel for nitrogen reduction at HJS in the workshop in October 2018 in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. | Getty Images A 2021 study conducted by the NICB's operations, intelligence and analytics division found that there was an average of 1,203 catalytic converter thefts reported per month in 2020, compared to an average of 282 thefts reported per month in 2019 and 108 thefts reported per month in 2018. Top 5 States for Catalytic Converter TheftsCalifornia Texas Minnesota North Carolina Illinois Source: NICB FILLING A GAS-POWERED VEHICLE CAN STILL BE CHEAPER THAN CHARGING AN ELECTRIC ONE The NICB attributes the increase in catalytic converter thefts to the rising value of their precious metals. As of Friday, rhodium is valued at $17,400 per ounce, while palladium is valued at $2,720 per ounce and platinum is valued at about $1,072 per ounce, according to KITCO.com. It also cites the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including disenfranchised and frustrated young men and juveniles, unemployment, no school, closed outreach centers and public safety resource limitations and withdrawal of proactive policies.
"As the value of the precious metals contained within the catalytic converters continues to increase, so do the number of thefts of these devices," NICB President and CEO David Glawe told FOX Business. "There is a clear connection between times of crisis, limited resources and disruption of the supply chain that drives investors towards these precious metals." AMERICANS RECONSIDER DRIVING, SPENDING HABITS AND THEIR EMPLOYMENT AMID RECORD GAS PRICES Thieves typically target larger, high-clearance vehicles due to the ease of getting underneath them and removing the catalytic converter in a matter of seconds. In addition, hybrid vehicles like the Prius offer cleaner and more valuable catalytic converters. Recycling facilities will typically pay thieves $50 to $250 per catalytic converter, according to the NICB.
Gerd Schwartpaul works on an SCR catalytic converter for retrofitting diesel for nitrogen reduction in the workshop at HJS in October 2019 in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. | Getty Images The nonprofit estimates that owners can pay anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 to replace stolen catalytic converters, in addition to the lost income associated with missing work and finding and paying for alternate transportation. In some cases, catalytic converter thefts are covered by insurance as damage not caused by an accident. However, vehicle owners will be responsible for paying a deductible. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS Catalytic Converter Theft LegislationENACTED Arkansas, Indiana, North Carolina, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia INTRODUCED Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia have introduced legislation PASSED BUT NOT ENACTED Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wisconsin At the federal level, Indiana Congressman Jim Baird has introduced the Preventing Auto Recycling Thefts (PART) Act, which is intended to reduce catalytic converter thefts by marking identifying information on them, addressing how the parts are purchased and strengthening enforceability for local law enforcement. To reduce the chances of theft, the NICB recommends vehicle owners install a catalytic converter anti-theft device, park fleet vehicles in enclosed and secured areas that are well lit, locked and alarmed and park personal vehicles in a garage or a driveway with motion sensor security lights. Why are catalytic converters becoming an endangered species? Because they contain three valuable metals - platinum, palladium, and rhodium - making them worth hundreds, even thousands of dollars, stolen or not. It's the rhodium thieves are after. It's very rare, very expensive and has some strange properties. Could there be a better time for a Dreaded Chemistry Lesson from Hell? I think not. Hey, chemistry fans. It's time to live the good life!. I know that a distressingly high number of you who count on the regular appearance of The Dreaded Chemistry Lesson From HellTM to fill your otherwise-empty lives are probably a few days from having the DTs because I haven't done one in a while. So, as a New York humanitarian (1) it is only right that I stop churning out a stream of boring slop about COVID drugs and vaccines and get back to my roots as a chemist. It's the least I can do to appease all both of my devoted chemistry followers. Today, we discuss rhodium – one of the rarest and most valuable of all the elements. Chances are that you know, or have at least heard about, someone who heads out to their car, starts driving and it's not driving well, sort of like it's towing a brontosaurus on a skateboard. What happened? There's a pretty good chance that your catalytic converter is gone. As in stolen. Yes, someone pilfered the platinum, ripped off the rhodium, and poached the palladium. This is now very common. Thefts of catalytic converters increased by 325% from 2019 to 2020. Both performance and emissions suffer in the absence of this important car component. Good luck passing an inspection without one.  The real reason dinosaurs became extinct. Image credits: Maxipixel, Maxipixel, Wikimedia Commons, AllFreeDownloads.com A recycled catalytic converter from a car, stolen or not, can fetch between $150 and $250, but converters from trucks can be worth as much as $1,500. The value is due to the rare metals needed to make the converter work: palladium, rhodium, and platinum. Most of you would probably guess that platinum is the most valuable of the metals. It's not; it's quite the opposite. The most valuable metal in a converter is (by far) rhodium; it's also the most valuable metal in the world. As of today (1/31/22) here are the prices of selected valuable metals (per ounce)
Source: Money Metals What is so special about rhodium that makes it so valuable? To answer this question, it's time for... But first, since they've been my DCLFH hosts for years it's time to give Steve and Irving some recognition for their service. Maybe get to know them a little? How did they end up in such a terrible place? Here are their stories: How Steve and Irving came to be your hosts of The Dreaded Chemistry Lesson From Hell. Steve was a blackjack dealer from Reno who was cursed with poor impulse control and a hair-trigger temper. During one night shift he was in an especially foul mood when a woman at his table said "hit me," and he did just that. Unfortunately, the woman was the wife of a beloved local pastor, which earned Steve a trip on the one-way elevator ride to the hot zone years later when he was fatally struck by a 92-year narcoleptic Uber driver in the casino parking lot. Irving, a cantankerous New York deli manager, secured his place in the eternal broiler when his wife asked whether he would mind if she hosted an Amway event in their 500 square foot Queens studio apartment and he responded, "I'd rather burn in hell." Irving got his wish. Now, let's get to the rhodium chemistry lesson! Facts about rhodium:
(Left) A 78-gram cube of rhodium is worth $1.3 million. (Right) A sample of rhodplumsite is unremarkable looking but valuable. Images: Wikipedia, Mindat 3. Rhodium's inert properties make it suitable for use in exhaust systems. It is no accident that metals like rhodium, platinum, and palladium are used for this purpose. More common metals like iron, aluminum, or copper are more chemically reactive and would oxidize (and decompose) quickly under the conditions required to purify gasoline exhaust – a temperature of about 600°F. 4. Speaking of oxidation, this is one of the two chemical reactions that these metal catalysts (1) promote: Rhodium is responsible for reducing (removing oxygen) from nitrogen oxide pollutants like nitrous oxide, which cause smog and acid rain. NOx + Rh catalyst -------> N2 + O2 (a reduction reaction) Platinum and palladium are responsible for promoting oxidation reactions that neutralize the pollutants carbon monoxide and uncombusted hydrocarbons, for example, methane. CO + O2 + Pt/Pd catalyst -------> CO2 CH4 + O2 + Pt/Pd catalyst -------> H2O + CO2 In this way, some pretty nasty pollutants are converted to non-toxic gases. It works. 5. Rhodium is badass, even more so than gold or platinum There's noble and there's noble. All three metals are chemically inert, but gold and platinum have one notable weakness. You can boil either metal in nitric acid (pretty much nothing on earth will survive this) and they sit there laughing. But if you add hydrochloric acid you get a horrifying concoction called aqua regia (Latin for "Royal Water") they laugh no more. Aqua regia also dissolves both platinum and gold. But it doesn't touch rhodium. Rhodium is badass. 6. Rhodium forms some crazy-looking complexes with organic molecules. Here's one of them. Neither name will be used by Wordle. Image: Wikipedia I don't know (or care) what it is used for, but the image is interesting. Maybe a helicopter propellor? Feel free to take a guess. What to do about protecting your catalytic converter in New York? If you park on the street in NYC – a form of torture that is unmatched in modern society – there isn't much you can do. A thief simply crawls under your car and cuts it off. Since the current leadership in the city, such as it is, is considering treating armed robbery as a misdemeanor some joker under a car with a saw is unlikely to have much to attract much attention. Or you could be robbed by garages (about $800/month per car in Manhattan) and protect the converter, assuming it won't be stolen in there (3). Which is worse? The math here is beyond my feeble ability. Or you could ditch the car and ride a bike around. But the chances of getting the bike stolen range between 100% and 100%. It used to be OK to get a heavy-duty lock and fasten the bike to a tall street sign. Not any more. Bicycle thieves in NYC have learned to detach the sign from the top of the pole. Then they lift the bike over the empty pole. Pretty clever if you ask me. Photos: EVGrieve Let's wrap this up. I have to write some more nonsense and Steve and Irving are preparing for their next DCLFH® gig. Plus they both have HVAC duty tonight. In hell. Could be some technical challenges. NOTES (1) A New York humanitarian is defined as someone who pushes an elderly person in a wheelchair across a busy avenue. Halfway. (2) ACSH friend, Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Director of McGill University's “Office for Science and Society” made a very nice YouTube video about catalysts. You can view it here. OSS has a virtually identical mission to ACSH - "separating sense from nonsense." (3) When my brother Billy lived in Manhattan he was forced to garage his car. I naively asked him how safe it was to leave his possessions in the car. His reply: "They will steal a gum wrapper." How much precious metals do you get out of a catalytic converter?According to Waste Advantage Magazine, the average catalytic converter contains from three to seven grams of platinum, from two to seven grams of palladium, and from one to two grams of rhodium.
What is the most valuable metal in a catalytic converter?Catalytic converters have economic value as they contain precious metals. This is the main reason why they are sold as the most expensive scrap. Because it contains rhodium, palladium and platinum, which are among the most precious metals.
What is today's price of rhodium?PGMs
What are the most valuable catalytic converters to steal?Experts say the most commonly targeted vehicles for catalytic converter thefts are Honda Accords and Toyota Priuses.
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What precious metals are in a catalytic converter
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