Element 76 · Transition Metal
Osmium
The densest naturally occurring element — osmium is harder than steel and finds use in specialist hard alloys.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
Os
ATOMIC NO.
76
ATOMIC WEIGHT
190.23
CATEGORY
Transition Metal
PERIOD
Period 6
GROUP
Group 8
History
Osmium was discovered in 1803 by Smithson Tennant alongside iridium when dissolving crude platinum in aqua regia — the residue contained both new elements. Named from the Greek for “smell” (osmé) because osmium tetroxide (formed on contact with air) has a powerful acrid odour. Used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in incandescent light bulb filaments (before tungsten became dominant), fountain pen nib tips, and in the alloy osmiridium for compass needles.
In Brief
Osmium is element 76, with the highest density of any naturally occurring element (22.59 g/cm³ — twice as dense as lead). A platinum group metal, brittle and hard.
Uses Today
Osmium-iridium alloys for fountain pen nibs, phonograph styluses, electrical contacts, and instrument pivots. Specialist metallurgical applications.
Why We Don't Buy It
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Osmium:
Tiny global production volumes (around 1 tonne per year) and entirely specialist applications. No general scrap market — handled exclusively by precious metal refiners.
Value & Pricing
Osmium is the rarest of the platinum group metals and one of the densest elements. It trades at approximately £350–700 per troy ounce (approximately £11,000–22,000/kg). It is a platinum group metal (PGM) but not bought at standard scrap yards in recoverable quantities.