{"id":116,"date":"2020-04-08T15:05:34","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T15:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=116"},"modified":"2023-08-16T08:52:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T08:52:49","slug":"osmium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/osmium\/","title":{"rendered":"Osmium (Os)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Osmium is a chemical element with the atomic number 76 in the periodic table. It\u2019s one of the rarest chemical elements that occur in Earth\u2019s crust, with 1.5\u00d710-3 ppm of natural abundance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a member of the platinum<\/a> group metals (PGM), this noble metal with a pungent odor and high toxicity has many applications in medicine and various industries. As a part of the platinum metals group, osmium is often alloyed with the other precious metals. In this way, osmium alloys are used for an added durability, firmness, and anti-corrosive protection of manufactured items.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Osmium<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Symbol<\/td>Os<\/td><\/tr>
Name<\/td>Osmium<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic number<\/td>76<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic weight<\/td>190.23 g.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Group<\/td>Transition Metal<\/td><\/tr>
Period<\/td>6 (d-block)<\/td><\/tr>
Color<\/td>A bluish-white color with a silvery luster<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>Solid at room temperature<\/td><\/tr>
Half-life<\/td>From 0.64(6) milliseconds to 2.0(11)\u00d71015 years<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity<\/td>2.2<\/td><\/tr>
Density<\/td>22.40 g.cm-3 at 20\u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Melting point<\/td>3033\u00b0C, 5491\u00b0F, 3306 K<\/td><\/tr>
Boiling point<\/td>5008\u00b0C, 9046\u00b0F, 5281 K<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic radius<\/td>0.067 nm (+4)<\/td><\/tr>
Isotopes<\/td>37<\/td><\/tr>
Electronic shell<\/td>[Xe] 4f14 5d6 6s2<\/td><\/tr>
Uses<\/td>Used to tip gold pen points, instrument pivots, electric light
filaments, high temp. alloys, pressure bearings. Very hard
and corrosion-resistant.<\/td><\/tr>
Description<\/td>Heavy, brittle, white metal.<\/td><\/tr>
Shells<\/td>2,8,18,32,14,2<\/td><\/tr>
Valence<\/td>0,3,4,6,8<\/td><\/tr>
Crystal Structure<\/td>Hexagonal<\/td><\/tr>
Covalent Radius<\/td>1.26 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Radius<\/td>1.92 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Volume<\/td>08.49 cm\u00b3\/mol<\/td><\/tr>
Name Origin<\/td>Greek: osm\u00ea (odor).<\/td><\/tr>
Discoverer<\/td>Smithson Tenant<\/td><\/tr>
Year<\/td>1804<\/td><\/tr>
Location<\/td>England<\/td><\/tr>
Pronunciation<\/td>OZ-mi-em<\/td><\/tr>
Oxydation States<\/td>2,3,(4),6,8<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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With the periodic table symbol Os, atomic number 76, atomic mass of 190.2 g.mol-1, and electron configuration [Xe] 4f14 5d- 6s2, osmium is a hard and brittle bluish-white metal with a silvery lustre and pungent odor.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osmium reaches its boiling point at 5008\u00b0C, 9046\u00b0F, 5281 K, while the melting point is achieved at 3033\u00b0C, 5491\u00b0F, 3306 K. In this regard, this chemical element has one of the highest melting and boiling points.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This member of the platinum metals family of elements has an electronegativity of 2.2 according to Pauling, whereas the atomic radius according to van der Waals is 0.136 nm. Osmium metal has an excellent anti-corrosive property, and is resistant to wear and tear. Even after exposure to high temperatures, osmium does not lose its silvery luster.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Osmium Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Osmium was discovered by the English chemists Smithson Tennant and William Hyde Wollaston in 1803. At that time, some scientists believed that crude platinum powder was actually graphite (C), archaically known as <\/span>plumbago<\/span><\/i>. However, Tennant\u2019s and Wollaston\u2019s curiosity spurred them to conduct additional experiments to obtain more valid evidence on this claim.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These two discoverers then decided to implement the method for the isolation of palladium<\/a> and rhodium<\/a> out of platinum ore that had been conceptualized by Wollaston. Namely, Tennant and Wollaston tried to dissolve a sample of crude platinum in aqua regia (a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid) in a London laboratory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This experiment resulted in a metallic black powder. But, the English chemists were still convinced that there\u2019s something more to this graphite-resembling substance. So, they attempted mixing the powder with sodium<\/a> hydroxide after which they heated the mixture. By adding water to the residue, the alkali was removed and mixed with hydrochloric acid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This step of the experiment proved to be revolutionary because Tennant and Wollaston discovered an unknown metal element exactly in this solution. From the new element referred to as \u2018ptene\u2019, they succeeded in isolating a substance with an extremely strong smell – osmium tetroxide (OsO4).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Osmium Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a result of its exceptionally strong and unpleasant smell, element 76 was given the name \u2018osmium\u2019. The term is derived from the Greek word\u00a0 \u2018<\/span>osme<\/span><\/i>‘, which means \u2018smelly\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Osmium?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Osmium is the rarest and least abundant transition metal that naturally occurs in Earth\u2019s crust. It\u2019s mainly traced in alloys together with other platinum metals. Furthermore, element 76 is also traced in the mineral <\/span>osmiridium<\/span><\/i> (also known as <\/span>iridosmine<\/span><\/i> – an alloy of osmium and iridium<\/a>). Osmiridium deposits are most often found in the gold<\/a>-bearing conglomerates located in the Ural Mountains (Russia), Witwatersrand (South Africa), and California and Oregon (United States).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This toxic chemical element can also be found in the minerals siserskite, aurosmiridium, as well as in native platinum ores. For commercial purposes, osmium is mostly obtained as a byproduct of nickel<\/a> refining, i.e. from the processing of platinum and nickel ores.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Osmium in Everyday Life<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a member of the platinum metals group, the main application of this transition metal is in the making of very hard alloys that characterize with great resistance to wear. Osmium can be also applied in the following instances:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n