Osmium
Contributor: Tomer Avidor-Reiss
About the Display:
- Pure osmium metal: the metal has to be kept in a well sealed container as it is reactive and will form osmium (IV) oxide upon contact with air, which is toxic and can cause blindness; it is one of the few metals that is not gray or silver, and has a slight blue-ish hue to it
- Electron Microscope biological sample holder with OsO4: osmium tetroxide is used as a fixant for biological materials, meaning it听reacts with lipid moieties and is responsible for the oxidation of unsaturated bonds of fatty acids which adds density and contrast to biological samples resulting in better imaging!
- Osmium tipped record needle: osmium tipped record needle was designed by Recoton and patented for use in a record system
About the Contributor: Dr. Tomer Avidor-Reiss is a professor in the biological sciences department here at the University of Toledo!
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Symbol: Os
Atomic Number: 76
Atomic Mass: 190.23 u
Electron Configuration:听[Xe] 4f145d66s2听
Year Discovered: 1803
Discovered By: Smithson Tennant听 听听