Osmium
Osmio (Os, Z=76)
- Date
- 1803 · confidence high
- Place
- London, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Smithson Tennant
- People
- 👤 Smithson Tennant1761–1815
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
Tennant found two new metals, osmium and iridium, in the insoluble black residue of platinum in aqua regia, naming the former after the smell of its tetroxide.
Discovered alongside iridium in the same residue.
What it led to
- Densest known element
- Filaments of the first light bulbs (Osram)
- Tissue staining for electron microscopy
Built on
- Platinum refining
- Aqua regia
Made possible
- Auer's osmium light bulb
- Fixation with osmium tetroxide