Osmium metal. Properties of osmium. Applications of osmium

Several tens of kilograms per year. This is the production of osmium. It is among the top most expensive metals in the world, and is in second place after californium.

We’ll tell you later how much they give for one gram. For now, let us note that the high cost of raw materials justifies their use only where the result is more important.

The result is osmium provides one that other metals are not capable of. Why? The answer will be a listing of the element's properties.

Properties of osmium

Osmium is a metal, insoluble in alkalis. Even their powerful representatives are powerless against the element.

Moreover, it remains unharmed in mixtures and acids. , to which osmium belongs, for example, lends itself to aqua regia.

Chemical inertness allows the use osmium alloys and coatings made from it in aggressive environments. We will describe specific examples in a separate chapter.

Raw materials for products are usually - powder osmium. It is not difficult to obtain, since the substance crumbles easily.

In powder form, osmium, although slowly, dissolves in nitrogen and sulfuric concentrates, reacts with vapors, , and.

You can get it from powder osmium amalgam, that is, its solution in .

The interaction of osmium with other substances is accompanied by an unpleasant, pungent odor.

This is the “aroma” of the hero. It was named by its discoverer, British chemist William Wollaston. From the Greek “osmium” is translated as “smell”.

The appearance of the element, on the contrary, is attractive. Metal is considered one of the most beautiful. Osmium crystals silver-blue.

The metal is dark blue, cast. The element's powder is deep purple.

However, with such an appearance, Osmium’s “modeling career” did not work out. do not work with metal.

Due to the price and, at the same time, fragility, the element cannot be machined.

The refractoriness of the substance also interferes with it. Osmium - element, softening only at temperatures above 3000 degrees Celsius.

What is not to your liking is useful in heavy industry. There is a separate chapter for nuances.

Here, it is worth saying that in addition to refractoriness, it is worthy of attention osmium density. That's almost 23 grams per cubic centimeter.

This indicator makes the hero of the article the heaviest metal in the world. Pour osmium powder into a plastic bottle.

Now, pour water into a metal bucket, about 20 liters. Lift it up. The bottle will be several times heavier.

The effect of metal compounds on the body is also severe. Osmium oxide, or other substances with it, affect internal organs and cause loss of vision.

Poisoning by element vapors can be fatal. The rate of osmium in the atmosphere is 5 times less than that of hydrocyanic acid, only 0.002 milligrams per cubic meter.

Within this content, the metal can even be beneficial. Thus, English scientists have proven that osmium blocks the development of cancer cells.

Osmium-based methods for treating cancer are already being developed. Where else, and how, the hero of the article can be useful, we will tell you further.

Applications of osmium

Before the discovery of the anticancer properties of osmium, it was also used by doctors, but in implants. They are made from noble metals so that there are no allergic reactions or, in general, any reactions with the environment.

Each implant has its own. Osmium is needed in cardiac stimulation, that is, it replaces elements of the heart.

Implants consisting of 10% osmium are implanted into it. The rest is .

It is not surprising that the cost of the equipment is comparable to the price tag for the work of the best surgeons in the best clinics in the world.

Of the platinum group, osmium is the least consumed metal. Due to its high cost and rarity, they are looking for a replacement.

So, in the last century, the hero of the article was part of incandescent lamps, as the most refractory metal.

But, a worthy alternative was found -. The last filament was used for several decades.

Has not outlived its usefulness application of osmium, as a component of alloys for devices and tools.

Products with the heaviest metal break records for wear resistance. It is composed of an element whose only rival is its refractoriness and immunity to chemical reagents.

If you want to get a cutter that will not be demolished, or a scalpel that can operate on all living beings, order instruments with osmium.

Buy osmium industrialists are also striving for measurement technology. It contains metal on the axes and arrows.

For them, the absence of properties is important. Osmium matches the request. By the way, the hero of the article also comes in handy in mechanisms.

The element is used, as a rule, in elite models. So, Rolexes are worth millions of dollars for a reason.

The price tag consists not only of the company’s prestige, high-quality mechanism and case. There are also precious elements inside the watch. Osmium is a noble metal, and it is not for nothing that it is classified as a platinum group.

Of the osmium alloys, the most common are duets with and. They are produced, for example, for technical tips with increased physical and chemical resistance.

Electrical contacts are made from an alloy with. Osmium sell It is also possible for the production of electrical contacts. In them, along with the heaviest metal, tungsten is also added.

Osmium tetroxide used in electron microscopy. Here the heaviest metal serves as a fixative for biological objects. A rare element ensures the safety of the microstructures of their cells.

Tetroxide is the most commonly used compound osmia. His photo can be posted online with the caption “catalyst”.

In this role, osmium is more effective. In particular, the synthesis, production of certain drugs and hydrogenation of organic matter cannot be done without the hero of the article.

Now, the promised information about heavy industry. Osmium 187, and other isotopes of the substance, are used in rocketry, aircraft, and also in military warheads.

The metal strengthens them and allows them to withstand extreme temperatures and loads.

187th osmium isotope- just one of them. Metal has several types of nuclides. These are types of atom. They differ in the number of neutrons in its nucleus.

All isotopes of osmium are similar in melting point, appearance, . This complicates the separation of particles and their extraction.

As a result, it jumps even more osmium cost. Let's figure out what industrialists have to go through to bring powdered metal to the world.

Osmium mining

“Tamara and I go as a couple.” The nursery rhyme phrase can also be applied to osmium. Only, he “walks in pairs” with.

The metal does not occur separately in nature. So, industrialists are faced with the task of not only separating the isotopes of the hero of the article, but also separating him from his “comrade”.

Along with osmium, iridium, palladium and other platinoids are often accompanied by the most fortunate ones.

In it, along with Tasmania, the USA,Australia and Colombia contain the main reserves of the rare substance. But the largest deposits are in South Africa.

Therefore, it largely establishes osmium prices. We will tell you what they are like this year in the final chapter.

Osmium price

Osmium price per gram exceeds $200,000. This is data from the top most expensive metals. However, it was compiled in the early 2000s.

The situation has changed. There is a tendency to increase production. Since osmium is extracted as a by-product, there has been a temporary increase in production to 200 kilograms per year and, as a result, the cost of the heaviest substance has decreased.

However, given the limited reserves of both platinum and osmium, in the long term the price tag will still increase.

The exception will be a situation in which scientists find a worthy and more cost-effective replacement for the hero of the article.

It is worth noting that the price of osmium varies depending on the type of isotope. The most practical, chemically resistant and is the 187th.

They are asking for the maximum for him. There are also the 188th, 189th, 190th, 191st and 192nd nuclides.

Of these, only 191 is not stable, that is, it can be used in the nuclear industry, therefore, it is also highly valued, but it falls short of 187.