Re: What are some uses for Osmium in technology?

Hi Mona -

I'll start with some information you can find in the Osmium page at the Electronic Periodic Table of the Elements. The pure metal itself is brittle and difficult to isolate. However, when combined with other metals such as irridium and platinum is creates very hard alloys. Some of the alloys are used commercially in the tips of fountain pens, record needles and light filaments.

Osmium readily combines with oxygen in the air to form osmium tetroxide - OsO4. OsO4 is an extremely potent oxidizing agent, meaning it likes to 'strip electrons' from other molecules and elements. It is also *highly toxic* - to quote my organic chemistry teacher, if you get a whiff of osmium tetroxide, ".. You'll see black spots.. and then you'll see nothing at all." Powerful stuff.. huh?

However, most commerical uses of osmium that I know of involve OsO4. Many chemical reactions use it as a potent oxidizer. It is commonly used in the biological sciences to stain tissues. OsO4 turns black when it reacts with living tissue to produce OsO2. Procedures for looking at tissues under very very high magnification (*electron microscopy*) use OsO4 to pretreat the tissues before they are sliced into extremely thin sections.

Thanks for your question.

-N.B.