Does Rhodium Tarnish? Does it Rust, Corrode and Oxidize?

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Does rhodium tarnish? Does it corrode, rust and oxidize?

No, rhodium doesn’t tarnish. It’s a noble metal that doesn’t corrode, rust and oxidize under normal day-to-day circumstances.

However, rhodium plating on jewelry wears off over time exposing the base metal underneath, which then tarnishes and discolors.

Learn more below!

Here’s an awesome quiz about rhodium tarnishing and corroding. Take it after you’ve read my guide.

Does Rhodium Tarnish? Does it Rust, Corrode and Oxidize?

Table of Contents

Does Rhodium Tarnish? Does it Corrode, Rust and Oxidize?

No, rhodium doesn’t tarnish. It’s a noble precious metal that’s highly resistant to all of the Earth’s elements + anything you can expose it to in your home and kitchen.

Below are all the potential tarnishing-causing substances and their effect on rhodium items.

Fire. Fire and strong flames don’t tarnish and corrode rhodium. However, thin rhodium plating on rhodium-plated jewelry gets damaged by strong fires and causes the plating to fall off and expose the underlying base metal.
Water. Rhodium doesn’t tarnish in water. Water has zero effect on pure rhodium regardless of the exposure time. Chlorinated water and saltwater also don’t tarnish rhodium so it’s safe to wear rhodium-plated jewelry while showering and swimming in an ocean or on a pool.
Bleach. Bleach doesn’t tarnish and corrode rhodium. Ruthenium, a related platinum-group metal, will quickly dissolve in bleach, but rhodium will stay unchanged.
Toothpaste. Toothpaste neither corrodes nor tarnishes pure rhodium. However, the abrasive particles in toothpaste further damage rhodium plated jewelry when the plating is already damaged and worn out. Then toothpaste has a negative and tarnishing effect on the base metal underneath.
Vinegar. Vinegar neither tarnishes not corrodes rhodium. Vinegar’s acetic acid is too weak to affect pure rhodium, even with prolonged exposure.
Hydrogen peroxide. Rhodium doesn’t tarnish when exposed to hydrogen peroxide. Rhodium is highly oxidation and corrosion-resistant and hydrogen peroxide has little to no effect on it. However, don’t expose damaged rhodium-plated jewelry to hydrogen peroxide so no further damage is done.
Lemon juice. Lemon juice doesn’t tarnish and rust rhodium. It also doesn’t oxidize and corrode it. Lemon juice’s acids are unable to do any visible damage to pure rhodium items.
Makeup. Makeup has no effect on rhodium. It doesn’t tarnish, corrode, oxide or rust objects made of this noble metal.
Nitric acid. Nitric acid doesn’t tarnish rhodium. It also doesn’t oxidize and corrode it.
Alcohol. Alcohol doesn’t tarnish or corrode rhodium. You can use rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) to clean your rhodium jewelry and bullion. Just be careful when cleaning rhodium-plated jewelry if the plating is structurally weakened. Too much physical pressure during cleaning will cause it to fall off and expose the metal underneath.

Rhodium doesn't tarnish, rust, corrode and oxidize when exposed to fire, water, toothpaste, lemon juice, bleach, baking soda, vinegar, nitric acid and makeup — Rhodium doesn’t tarnish, rust, corrode and oxidize when exposed to fire, water, toothpaste, lemon juice, bleach, baking soda, vinegar, nitric acid and makeup

Does Pure Rhodium Bullion Tarnish? Does it Corrode and Oxidize?

No, pure rhodium bullion doesn’t tarnish. It also doesn’t corrode and oxidize.

You’ve got nothing to worry about if you own or intend to own pure rhodium bullion, whether coins or bars.

The only exceptions are hot, concentrated sulfuric acid and a mixture of hydrochloric acid and hydrobromic acid+ manganese dioxide.

Both of these compounds are able to dissolve rhodium, but both of these substances are found only in chemical labs.

You don’t have them in your home or kitchen.

Rhodium is corroded by hydrochloric and hydrobromic acids

Does Pure Rhodium Jewelry Tarnish? Does it Oxidize and Corrode?

No, pure rhodium jewelry doesn’t tarnish. It also doesn’t corrode and oxidize because rhodium as a noble metal is immune to nearly every substance found on our planet.

However, pure rhodium jewelry is rare and much more common is rhodium plated jewelry which both tarnishes and corrodes under certain conditions.

Rhodium-plated gold jewelry. Pure, 24K gold doesn’t tarnish. But gold alloyed with other metals tarnishes when exposed to oxygen, moisture and other Earth’s elements. This means exposed gold base under rhodium plating on a gold jewelry item will tarnish. The solution is to fix that rhodium plating ASAP.
Rhodium-plated silver jewelry. Silver tarnishes because it’s nearly always alloyed with metals that are prone to tarnishing, for example copper. This means exposed silver base under rhodium plating on a silver jewelry item will tarnish. The solution is to fix that rhodium plating covering the silver alloy ASAP.
Rhodium-plated platinum jewelry. Platinum doesn’t tarnish so rhodium-plated platinum jewelry items won’t tarnish and corrode. Platinum base can patinate if rhodium plating is damaged. though which some people like.
Rhodium-plated palladium jewelry. Palladium doesn’t tarnish so rhodium-plated palladium jewelry items won’t tarnish and corrode. Exposed palladium under the rhodium platinum can discolor and develop a patina.
Rhodium-plated white gold jewelry. White gold doesn’t tarnish. Over time white gold patinates and adopts a pale yellow color which some people don’t like. But, intact rhodium plating will prevent this from happening.