* Osmium is a member of the transition metals family:
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OSMIUM / Os / 76
A lustrous, silvery, unreactive metal, the densest metal known.
Seven isotopes are found in nature:
Os<192/76> / 41%
Os<190/76> / 26.5%
Os<189/76> / 16%
Os<188/76> / 13.5%
Os<187/76> / 1.5%
Os<186/76> / 1.5%
Os<184/76> / 0.02%
All are stable except for Os<186/76>, which has a half-life of
2E15 years.
atomic weight: 190.23
abundance: 81st (very rare)
density: 22.57 gm/cc
melting point: 3,045 C
boiling point: 5,027 C
valence: 1 2 3 <4> 5 6 7 8
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Osmium is a member of the platinum group of metals. It is rare and hard to extract, and so it is little used despite its hardness and corrosion resistance. It is used a bit in alloys and catalytic processes.
