Osmium

76
Os
190.2

osmium.jpg (8582 bytes)
Used in Fountain Pen Points

Properties
Symbol Name Atomic Number Atomic Weight Group Number
Os Osmium 76 190.2 8

Description

Standard State: Solid at 298 K
Color: Bluish gray

Discovered in 1803 by Tennant in the residue left over when crude platinum is dissolved by aqua regia. Osmium occurs in iridosmine and in platinum-bearing river sands of the Urals, North America, and South America.  It is  also found in the nickel-bearing ores of Sudbury.  It has the highest melting point and the lowest vapor pressure of the platinum group.  The metal is very hard to fabricate, but the powder can be sintered in a hydrogen atmosphere at a temperature of 2000°C.