osmium (Os)

A bead of high-purity arc-melted osmium.
Image copyright: smart-elements.com

A hard, silver-gray element in the platinum group; also a transition element. Discovered by Smithson Tennant in London in 1803, osmium is the densest of the elements (twice as dense as lead) and as rare as gold; the chief source is a by-product of smelting nickel. It is slowly oxidized in air. The most common isotope is ¹⁹²Os (41.0%).

Like iridium, osmium is used in producing hard alloys. It is also used to make electrical contacts and pen points.

Osmium tetroxide is a colorless or faintly yellowish compound used to stain fats or as a fixative in the preparation of tissues for study by microcope. Osmium tetroxide evaporates readily, the vapor having a toxic action on the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract.

atomic number	76
relative atomic mass	190.2
relative density	22.57
melting point	3.045°C (5,513°F)
boiling point	5,027°C (9,081°F)

Related categories

• ATOMIC AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS
• INORGANIC CHEMISTRY

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