Osmium facts for kids

A small ball of osmium

Osmium is a special kind of building block for everything around us, called a chemical element. You can find it on the periodic table as element number 76. Its symbol is Os.

Osmium is very rare on Earth. There's so little of it that it's one of the most expensive metals you can find!

What Makes Osmium Special?

Osmium is a type of metal. It's known as a "noble metal" because it doesn't easily react with other chemicals. Think of it like a very calm and stable metal that doesn't get into trouble with other elements.

A Rare and Heavy Metal

Osmium is one of the densest (heaviest for its size) elements known. Because it's so rare, finding it is quite difficult. This rarity is a big reason why it costs so much.

How Was Osmium Found?

Osmium was discovered a long time ago, in 1804. A scientist named Smithson Tennant found it in London, England.

He was studying Platinum, another valuable metal. He dissolved some platinum in a strong acid called Aqua regia. When he did this, he found a tiny bit of something new left behind. This leftover part contained two new elements: Iridium and Osmium!

Images for kids

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  Osmium, remelted pellet

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  Native platinum containing traces of the other platinum group metals

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  Osmium crystals, grown by chemical vapor transport

See also

In Spanish: Osmio para niños