History of discovery and natural properties
In 1803-1804 in England, when conducting experiments on platinum with aqua regia (a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid), in the resulting unknown precipitate, after dissolving the platinum, a sharp, unpleasant odor, reminiscent of chlorine, appeared. Thanks to this smell, the newly discovered metal got its name. True, in Greek. From the Greek “osmium” is translated as “smell”.
Formally, it is a noble metal because it is part of the platinum group. This is where true nobility ends. The properties of this metal, both chemical and physical, have not yet been fully studied. The physical characteristics were more or less clarified several years ago.
Uranus
The natural oxidizing properties of uranium were used in antiquity (1st century BC) in the production of yellow glaze in ceramic products. One of the most well-known durable metals in world practice, it is weakly radioactive and is used in the production of nuclear fuel. The 20th century was even called the “age of Uranus.” This metal has paramagnetic properties.
Uranium is 2.5 times heavier than iron, forms many chemical compounds; its alloys with elements such as tin, lead, aluminum, mercury, and iron are used in production.
Palladium
The silvery-white isotope, a member of the noble platinum metals, was discovered by British chemist William Wollaston in 1803. The main advantages of palladium are ductility, softness, low melting point, resistance to darkening and corrosion.
Palladium is widely used in industry and the medical field. Indispensable in the manufacture of jewelry: thanks to its lightness, you can create real masterpieces of art from it.
The largest deposits were found in Russia (Murmansk, Norilsk, Talnakh), Africa, Canada, Alaska, Colombia, and Australia. Cost: $90 for 1 g.
Receiving technology
Like other platinoids, Osmium is extracted from the parent rock: copper-nickel, platinum, gold.
Osmium extraction takes place in different ways:
- At a refinery in the process of purifying platinum. This is a proven, but technologically complex multi-stage procedure. First, sedimentary osmiridium is obtained. It is valuable in its own right, but sometimes the two components need to be separated. To do this, a chain of chemical reactions is carried out.
- The second method of obtaining osmium is calcination of enriched rock at 800-900°C. Osmium turns out to be spongy.
- Metal with a purity of 99.99% is obtained by chemical transportation.
However, losses during metal production are high, so more efficient technologies are being developed.
California 252
At the moment, there is no metal in the world that would cost more than California 252. Its unusually high value is registered in the Guinness Book of Records and is equal to 10 million dollars per 1 g.
Every year, through complex and painstaking work, 35–40 mcg of the element is obtained. Its worldwide supply is only 8 g.
Californium 252 does not occur in nature; it was synthesized by American scientists in 1950. Currently, the unique metal is produced at the Dimitrovgrad RIAR and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the USA.
The metal is valued for its unprecedented energy, comparable in power to the energy of an average nuclear reactor. They are used in nuclear physics and in medicine in the treatment of cancer. With its help, new deposits of gold and silver are found and defects in aircraft reactors are identified.
List
Metals with inherent fragility include natural and technological materials.
Natural substances:
- Alkaline earth - beryllium.
- Low-melting materials - tin, bismuth.
- Heavy elements - zinc, manganese, chromium, antimony, cobalt.
Cobalt
The list contains unique ones:
- Tungsten. The most tensile strength among metals.
- Osmium. A hard, brittle platinoid of a bluish-silver color, second in density among simple substances, and refractory.
- Germanium. Soft brittle white metal.
The most fragile metal is antimony. It is easy to make powder by hand.
Materials obtained as a result of technological processes: bronze, white cast iron, high carbon steel.
Platinum
Platinum was discovered in Colombian mines in the 16th century by Spanish conquistadors. The unknown metal, which resembled silver, was at first considered absolutely useless and was contemptuously called “silver.”
It was often used to counterfeit gold and silver items. Over time, platinum gained popularity.
This is one of the rarest elements found in alloy with other metals. About 150 tons of platinum are mined annually in the world. The synthesis process is labor-intensive and expensive, which determines the price level.
Refractory and fireproof, platinum has high density and excellent wear resistance. It has low thermal conductivity and does not deform. Almost unaffected by any acids. Plastic, naturally white and shiny.
It is used in the automotive industry, radio engineering, computer production, the space industry, medicine, weapons and jewelry.
Russia, the USA, China, South Africa, and Zimbabwe are famous for deposits of this metal. Cost: $33 for 1 g.
Rhenium
Paramagnetic rhenium, one of the “heavier” elements of high density (21.03 g/cm3). On earth, RE exists in its pure form; the content as an impurity in molybdenite is especially significant, up to 0.5%. The pronounced properties of RE are considered to be the highest strength, heat resistance, characterized by refractoriness, oxidation resistance, ductility, and low corrosion when exposed to many chemicals. Rhenium is an expensive metal. The areas of application are diverse: electronics, rocket science, aircraft manufacturing (for example, the production of spare parts for supersonic fighters), metallurgy, medicine, shipbuilding.
Where is metal used?
Osmium is the least consumed of the platinum group metals. Practical application is hampered by its rarity in nature and refractoriness: to melt the powder, it requires above 3000°C. Not every enterprise is able to provide such a melting temperature.
First ideas
The new metal remained unclaimed for a long time: people did not know where to use it. The idea came from practical Germans. They decided to make an incandescent filament from osmium. Such a light bulb shone brightly, consuming three times less energy. However, there was still no benefit, so the experiment was stopped: cheaper tungsten won.
A compromise was found at the end of the twentieth century: the transnational corporation Osram produced household incandescent light bulbs under the brand of the same name. It is derived from the words osmium and tungsten: their incandescent filaments were made from such an alloy.
Today Osmium is left to industries where there is nothing to replace it.
Industry
Superhard raw materials are in demand in advanced industries:
- This is a material for alloys of components and parts of highly precise instruments.
- The hands of clock mechanisms and measuring equipment are made from it.
- This is a microcoating of parts that experience increased friction loads during operation.
Products made from alloys with osmium are resistant to wear. They serve for decades.
The choice of type of alloy is determined by the functions of products in technology:
- Osmium plus platinum or palladium become electrical contacts.
- An alloy with nickel, tungsten, cobalt - a material for mechanically and chemically resistant tips.
- Compounds with ruthenium and iridium are multifunctional.
They are used by the military-industrial complex and aircraft manufacturers (civil and military segments).
Osmium Ingots
Chemical industry
This area is in demand for the premium properties of osmium as a catalyst - it is more effective than platinum analogues.
Metal tetroxide is purchased for different purposes:
- Pharmaceutical giants - for the synthesis of drugs.
- Without it, it is impossible to synthesize ammonia, molecular nitrogen, and hydrogenate organic compounds.
Chemistry and oil refining take up half of the available osmium.
Thanks to the osmium component, it became possible to obtain a dense black pigment for the needs of porcelain production.
Medicine
The osmium component is present in products that are subject to increased hardness requirements:
- surgical instruments;
- implants;
- pacemakers.
The materials are an alloy of osmium and platinum (osmium - 11%).
Like ruthenium red, osmium pigment creates contrast when examining biological substances (for example, human tissue) under a microscope.
Osmium can bring invaluable benefits as an oncology blocker. This direction is a priority for research work.
Jewelry
In this segment, the noble metal is the alloy of platinum alloys. Jewelry in this design is especially strong, beautiful, and durable. But these are isolated cases: there are few raw materials.
Processing Features
Materials endowed with fragility are destroyed when trying to lengthen them even by a couple of percent.
Therefore, their processing is specific:
- Before work, the material is heated to neutralize cold brittleness.
- No pressure applied. For example, cast iron (heated or cold) after such an operation will retain its shape, but will be internally destroyed.
- Blanks made of brittle alloys (cast iron, bronze) are cut from the edge to the center.
The effect of hardening is ambiguous. Unlike heating, this treatment increases the strength of steel and other materials many times over, but at the expense of ductility. That is, the fragility threshold decreases.
Brittle metals are easier to break by tension than compression.
