Os
INTRODUCTION
Osmium is a bluish-white, brittle metallic element. It has the highest resistance to compression, or bulk modulus, of any known substance. Osmium and iridium are generally considered the most dense elements.
Osmium is not attacked by ordinary acids, but dissolves in aqua regia or fuming nitric acid. It forms salts in which it has valences of 1 through 8.
BASIC INFORMATIONS
- Atomic Number
- 76
- Atomic Mass
- 190.23
- Atomic radius
- 0.126
- Ionization energy
- 840
- Electronic config
- 2,8,18,32,14,2
- Principal Valency
- +2
- Density g/cm³
- 22.57
- Melting point °C
- 3033
- Boiling point °C
- 5012
- Type of Element
- Metal
- Electronegativity
- 2.2
- Element Category
- Iron Group
- Appearance
- Bluish white solid
- Block
- d-block
- Period
- 6
- Group
- 8
- No of Isotopes
- 36
- Occurrence
- Free and Alloy
- Abundance in ppm
- 0.005
- Year of Discovery
- 1803
EXTRACTION
Found free or compounds easily decomposed by heat
OXIDATION STATES
+8,+7,+6,+5,+4,+3,+2,+1,0,-1,-2 (Mildly acidic)
MAJOR SOURCE
Platinum ores
EXAMPLES OF COMPOUND PRESENT
Osmium fluoride, Osmium tetroxide
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
* Osmium is used in forming very hard alloys with other platinum group metals, such as osmiridium.
* Alloyed with platinum, it has been used for standard weights and measures.
