Osmium ( /ˈɒzmiəm/ OZ-mee-əm) is a chemical element with the symbol Os and atomic number 76. It is a hard, brittle, blue-gray or blue-black transition metal in the platinum family and is the densest natural element, with a density of 22.59 g/cm (slightly greater than that of iridium and twice that of lead). It is found in nature as an alloy, mostly in platinum ores; its alloys with platinum, iridium, and other platinum group metals are employed i...
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Osmium ( /ˈɒzmiəm/ OZ-mee-əm) is a chemical element with the symbol Os and atomic number 76. It is a hard, brittle, blue-gray or blue-black transition metal in the platinum family and is the densest natural element, with a density of 22.59 g/cm (slightly greater than that of iridium and twice that of lead). It is found in nature as an alloy, mostly in platinum ores; its alloys with platinum, iridium, and other platinum group metals are employed in fountain pen tips, electrical contacts, and other applications where extreme durability and hardness are needed.
Osmium has a blue-gray tint and is the densest stable element, slightly denser than iridium. Calculations of density from the X-ray diffraction data may produce the most reliable data for these elements, giving a value of 22.562±0.009 g/cm for iridium versus 22.587±0.009 g/cm for osmium. The high density of osmium is a consequence of the lanthanide contraction.
Osmium is a hard but brittle metal that remains lustrous even at high...
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