Metal Powder

Osmium micro powder is lustrous, silvery metal, one of the so-called platinum groups of metals. It is the densest metal known, although only by the narrowest margins. Osmium is unaffected by water and acids, however, it dissolves with molten alkalis. Osmium powder reacts slowly with the oxygen of the air and produces detectable amounts of osmium tetroxide vapor.

Osmium micro powder: This metal powder is employed in a few alloys and in the industry as a catalyst. Early, it was to be encountered in the nibs of high-quality fountain pens, compass needles, long-life gramophone needles, and clock bearings, because of its extreme hardness and corrosion resistance. A hard alloy of osmium and iridium has been utilized for tips of fountain pens and phonograph needles, and osmium tetroxide is applied in certain organic syntheses.

In the past, Osmium wires were employed for filaments incandescent lamps before the introduction of tungsten. It has been used chiefly as a hardener in alloys of the platinum metals and Osmium tetraoxide has been applied for staining biological samples for microscopic examination and for fingerprint detection. It is an effective material for the image contrasting in transmission electron microscopy   (TEM) because osmium atoms are extremely electron-dense. It is helpful in the studies of biological materials. 

Another osmium compound, osmium ferricyanide (OsFeCN), manifests similar fixing and staining action. Osmium metal can be utilized as a catalyst for instance, in the process of forming ammonia by combining hydrogen and nitrogen. Osmium-platinum is used to make surgical instruments and pacemakers because of its inertness.

Osmium tetroxide exhibits properties such as highly volatile and strongly oxidizing so it is beneficial in the chemical industry. It also has been applied as part of a solution injected into arthritic joints to assist destroys diseased tissue.