Osmium is very dangerous. It can harm your chest, eyes, and smells horrible. Just a little bit can make you blind!

 

 

Danger!
            Osmium teroxide can cause skin, eye and lung damage. If Osmium gets in your eye, even a little bit, it will turn your eye black or brown and you will be permanently blinded.

If you open a 10g bottle of osmium, within a couple minutes it will start effecting peoples’ eyes, you will feel a tightening in your chest, and you will smell a horrible odor. Osmium teroxide cannot cause death.

History
An English chemist named Smithson Tennant discovered osmium as well as iridium. He discovered osmium in 1804. Smithson Tennant found osmium in the residue left when crude platinum was dissolved by aqua regia.

 

Properties
            Osmium is number 76 on the periodic table. It has 2 valence electrons. It is a hard, brittle and bluish-white element. If the powder oxidizes in the air it becomes osmium teroxide. Teroxide is chemical compound that contains four oxygen atoms per molecule. Osmium teroxide produces a strong smelling toxic gas that can cause lung or skin damage. Osmium is the densest element. It’s density is 22.6 W/cmK. The oxidation state of osmium is +4, +3. Osmium’s atomic mass is 190.23.

 

Uses
Osmium is rarely used. It can be used to detect fingerprints and to stain fatty tissue for microscope slides. It is also used to create hard alloy, which can be used to make the tip of fountain pens, instrument pivots, and phonograph needles. Osmium’s use is limited because of it’s odor.

How Osmium is Made
Osmium is found in platinum-bearing river sand in the Urals, North America and South America. Osmium is found by extracting platinum metals from ores. It is difficult to make and is often made in the form of a powder. After the powder is made it is then heated and made into a solid mass.

Fun Facts
Osmium in different languages:
Latin: Osmium
Czech: Osmium
Croatian: Osmij
French: Osmium
German: Osmium - s
Italian: Osmio
Norwegian: Osmium
Portuguese: Osmio
Spanish: Osmio
Swedish: Osmium

Osmium is orientated from the word ‘osme’ with means odor in Greek.

 

Data Table
Atomic Number 76

Valence Electrons

 2
Denisty 22.6 W/cmK
Atomic Mass 19023
 

Glossary

Ores: A mineral that a metal can be extracted from.
Alloy: a substance composed of one or more metal immediately mixed by fusion.
Oxidize: To remove electrons an atom of molecule and increasing the valence.
W/cmK: Thermal Conductivity
Phonograph: A machine that makes sound using records in the form of discs.
Valence: the amount of electrons on the outside of an atom.

 

Bibliography

Osmium often is in the form Osmium Teroxide. To learn more about the other element that is in this bond click here

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