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osmium [Os]
From the Greek osme meaning smell. Discovered in 1803 by the English chemist Smithson Tennant in the residue obtained after dissolving crude platinum.
Occurrence:
-> occurs in iridosule & platinum-containing river sands
Characteristics:
1) a hard, brittle blue-gray or blue-black lustrous metal element of the platinum group
2) high melting point
3) heaviest metal known
4) lustrous
5) metal is not toxic, but volatile oxide (OsO4) is
a) OsO4 slowly released from powdered osmium
b) OsO4 has a strong smell
Uses:
1) catalyst
2) alloys
3) OsO4 is used as a fixitive for electron microscopy
Related
osmium in specimen
periodic table
General
chemical element
metal
Properties
SIZE: AW = 190.2
atomic number
VALUE: 76
VALENCE: XE 4F14 5D6 6S2
Database Correlations
PUBCHEM cid=23937
References
- Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, Miriam-
Webster Inc. Springfield, MA 1990
- Chemical & Engineering News, Sept 8, 2003