When was platinum first recognized as a distinct element in Europe?

Platinum had been used by Indigenous peoples in South America centuries before Europeans studied it, but it entered European scientific literature in 1748 through Antonio de Ulloa. He described the strange metal after observing it in what is now Colombia. Platinum later became valued for its rarity, resistance to corrosion, and high melting point. Its recognition helped broaden chemistry’s understanding of noble metals well before the modern periodic table existed.