The end goal and purpose of this final thesis is to describe the various attributes, methods of preparation and usage of platinum group metals (PGMs), as well as to examine their discovery, history, mining circumstances, and compounds they build in closer detail. The term platinum group metal is in fact a name given to a set of 6 metals with similar characteristics: ruthenium, rhodium, palladium- the palladium-group platinum group elements (PPGEs) and platinum, osmium and iridium- the iridium-group platinum group elements (IPGEs). The reason for their mutual similarities is their adjacency within the periodic table of elements. Not only do they share similarities in their characteristics, but they are also found together in ores, so that their discovery in mines, preparation and refinement are also tightly linked together. This further explains why they are being grouped together in a set of elements known as PGMs. A further trademark of PGMs is their ability to build a large number of various compounds, often complex ones. They can, therefore, be used for various purposes. In fact, so much so, that life without them would, as we know it today, be unimaginable.