Osmium: The Densest Element on Earth and Its Fascinating Properties

 

Osmium

The chemical element osmium has the atomic number 76 and the letter Os as its symbol. It is a hard, brittle, bluish-white transition metal from the platinum family that is usually found in platinum ores and is used as a trace element in alloys. The densest naturally occurring element is osmium. Its density, as determined experimentally by X-ray crystallography, is 22.59 g/cm3. Its alloys with platinum, iridium, and other platinum-group metals are used by manufacturers to create electrical connections, nib tips for fountain pens, and other items that need to be extremely durable and hard. Osmium, which only makes up 50 parts per trillion (ppt) of the Earth's crust, is one of the rarest elements on the planet. It is the rarest valuable metal since it is thought to exist in the cosmos in a mere 0.6 parts per billion. Let’s explore its unique characteristics:

1.      Physical properties

The densest stable element, Osmium has a blue-grey hue and is almost twice as dense as lead and just slightly less dense than iridium. For these elements, density calculations from X-ray diffraction data may yield the most accurate results. Osmium single crystals have a complex and strongly direction-dependent reflectivity. Light in the red and near-infrared spectrum is more strongly absorbed when polarised parallel to the c crystal axis than when polarised perpendicular to the c axis; c-parallel polarisation is also slightly more reflective in the mid-ultraviolet spectrum. Reflectivity peaks for both polarisations in the visible spectrum at around 1.5 eV (near-infrared) for the c-parallel polarisation and 2.0 eV (orange) for the c-perpendicular polarisation.

 

2.      Chemical properties

Oxidation states ranging from 4 to +8 are formed by Osmium. The oxidation states +2, +3, +4, and +8 are the most prevalent. Only xenon, ruthenium, hassium, iridium, and plutonium occur in the +8 oxidation state, which is significant for being the maximum achieved by any chemical element outside of iridium's +9 oxidation state. Osmium tetroxide is the substance that exhibits the +8 oxidation state the most frequently. When osmium powder is exposed to air, a poisonous chemical is created. It is a crystalline substance that is extremely flammable, water soluble, and light yellow in colour. Osmium tetroxide's distinctive aroma may be detected in osmium powder.

3.      Isotopes

Five of the seven naturally occurring isotopes of osmium are stable. Additionally, it has been used to establish minimum ages for the stabilisation of the mantle roots of continental cratons as well as to gauge the extent of continental weathering across geologic time. Rhenium-rich materials are exceptionally rich in 187 Os because of this degradation.

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