Osmium (Os) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Osmium element (Os) is in group 8 and period 6 of a periodic table. Osmium is in the d-block and it is classified as a transition element on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to osmium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Osmium element (Information Table)
• Osmium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Osmium
• Properties of Osmium
• Uses of Osmium

Osmium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to osmium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of osmium	Silvery-blue metallic appearance
Atomic number of osmium	76
Symbol of osmium	Os
Atomic mass of osmium	190.23 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in osmium	Protons: 76, Neutrons: 114, Electrons: 76
State of osmium (at STP)	Solid
Group number of osmium in periodic table	8
Period number of osmium in periodic table	6
Block of osmium in periodic table	d-block
Category of osmium	Transition metal
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in osmium	2, 8, 18, 32, 14, 2
Electron configuration of osmium	[Xe] 4f14 5d6 6s2
Orbital diagram of osmium
Electronegativity of osmium (on pauling scale)	2.2
Atomic radius of osmium (van der Waals radius)	216 picometers
Density of osmium	22.6 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of osmium	8.7 eV
Main isotope of osmium	192Os
Melting point of osmium	3306 K or 3033 °C or 5491 °F
Boiling point of osmium	5285 K or 5012 °C or 9054 °F
Crystal structure of osmium	Hexagonal Close Packing (HCP)
Discovery of osmium	By Smithson Tennant in 1844

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Osmium element in Periodic table

The Osmium element (Os) has the atomic number 76 and is located in group 8 and period 6. Osmium is a metal and it is classified as a transition element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about osmium

Here are a few interesting facts about osmium element.

1. Smithson Tennant discovered an osmium element in the year 1803.
2. Osmium was given its name from the Greek word “osme”, meaning smell.
3. Osmium is the most dense element on the periodic table, with a density of 22.6 g/cm³.
4. The earth’s crust contains osmium in the concentration of 1.5 parts per billion by weight.
5. Osmium is generally obtained as a byproduct while refining the nickel metal.

Properties of osmium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of osmium.

Physical properties of osmium

• Osmium has a silvery-blue metallic appearance.
• The density of osmium is 22.6 g/cm³ and its atomic mass is 190.23 amu.
• The melting point and boiling point of osmium is 3306 K and 5285 K respectively.
• The crystal structure of osmium is HCP.
• Osmium has many isotopes and the most abundant isotope is ¹⁹²Os.

Chemical properties of osmium

• The powdered form of osmium metal reacts with the atmospheric oxygen and forms osmium tetroxide.
• Osmium tetroxide has an unpleasant smell and it is a toxic compound of osmium.
• The oxidation states of osmium range from -2 to +8.
• The electron configuration of osmium is [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d⁶ 6s² and it has incomplete d-orbitals.

Uses of osmium

Here are some uses of the osmium element.

• Osmium has the hardest density as compared to other elements on the periodic table. So it is alloyed with other metals to increase their hardness.
• The pacemakers also contain 10% osmium and 90% platinum.
• Osmium is also used in making electrical contacts.

External resources:

1. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/76.shtml
2. Atomic Weight of Osmium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. (n.d.). Atomic Weight of Osmium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. https://ciaaw.org/osmium.htm
3. Atomic Data for Osmium (Os). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Osmium (Os). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/osmiumtable1.htm
4. Prohaska, T., et al. (2022, May 1). Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 94(5), 573–600. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0603
5. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
6. Kaye, G W.C., & Laby, T H. Tables of physical and chemical constants. 15th Edition. United States.
7. Sansonetti, J. E., & Martin, W. C. (2005, December). Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopic Data. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 34(4), 1559–2259. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1800011
8. Osmium – Wikipedia. (2018, May 10). Osmium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmium
9. Osmium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Osmium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/76/osmium
10. P. (n.d.). Osmium | Os (Element) – PubChem. Osmium | Os (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Osmium
11. It’s Elemental – The Element Osmium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Osmium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele076.html
12. C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – OSMIUM. (n.d.). C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – OSMIUM. http://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/80th/osmium.html?
13. Bondi, A. (1964, March). van der Waals Volumes and Radii. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 68(3), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100785a001
14. Holden, et al. (2018, December 1). IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) for the Education Community (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(12), 1833–2092. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703
15. Zhang, et al. (2011, January 11). Corrected Values for Boiling Points and Enthalpies of Vaporization of Elements in Handbooks. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 56(2), 328–337. https://doi.org/10.1021/je1011086