Osmium -
the densest natural element
Osmium (Os) was discovered in 1803 by Smithson Tennant who named it owing to
the pungent and distinctive smell of its volatile oxide, osmium (VIII) oxide or
osmium tetroxide (OsO4). The element is one of the most mysterious of
the periodic table, from the blue colour of the sponge, its high melting point
of 2700 oC, its ability to form the +8 oxidation state, its ability
to form a volatile oxide to its high density of 4.906 g cm-3. All of
these properties give osmium a unique mysterious characteristic to chemists.
Here at Ceimig we have been working with osmium for over 5 years and have hence
gained extensive experience in manufacturing a diverse range of Os compounds.
We also ship these restricted products to major manufacturing sites across the
world. Ceimig is one of only a few providers of Osmium and Osmium based
compounds in the world.
At Ceimig we not only sell
osmium sponge but also manufacture a wide range of osmium compounds, the key
products being described below:
Osmium
tetroxide, OsO4
The lemon yellow osmium tetroxide, OsO4, is used by our customers
for applications such as; vapour exposure staining of organic tissue for
electron microscopy examination, in protein X-ray crystallography as a
diffraction medium, an additive for crystal glass and for catalytic osmylation
of alkenes to form cis-dihydroxylated hydrocarbons as intermediates in
pharmaceutical targets.
Ceimig Ltd manufactures osmium
tetroxide (osmium tetroxide, OsO4) from the highest quality osmium
sponge to ensure a consistently high quality product. Our current production
capabilities allow us to synthesis 0.7Kg batch sizes.
Osmium tetroxide is currently
available in three forms to suit your production and handling needs. For more
information please see below:
1) Osmium tetroxide as crystal. (Product code 14008)
Ceimig Ltd can supply osmium tetroxide in a variety of quantities to suit your
production needs and to help reduce your contact time with the material. We do
all our glass sealing in house to provide sealed vials of osmium tetroxide
ranging from 0.1g up to 50g.
2) Osmium tetroxide in water. (Product code 14015)
We manufacture de-ionised water solutions of OsO4 at 2 wt% or 4 wt%
but can be any value up to around 6 wt% on request. Smaller volumes are supplied
in glass sealed ampoules of varying volumes from 1 mL to 25 mL, whilst larger
volumes from 25 mL up to 25 L are supplied in bottles.
Ceimig Ltd is one of only a few
companies who have the capability to manufacture and ship multiple 25L volumes
of 4 wt% osmium tetroxide around the world. Due to this, our material has been
widely used in a number of industrial programmes for the manufacture of
diabetes control and heart beta-blocker pharmaceuticals.
3) Osmium tetroxide in
tert-butanol. (product code 14036)
We also provide osmium tetroxide as a 2.5 wt% solution in stabilised
tert-butanol. We currently manufacture batch sizes up to 2 Kg and ship
worldwide for a diverse range of applications from biochemistry to stained
glass.
Potassium Osmate, K2[OsO4(OH)2]
(product code 14007)
Owing to the low solubility of osmium tetroxide in water (around 6 wt%) it is
sometimes more convenient to generate osmium tetroxide in situ. This is
achieved by using potassium Osmate, K2[OsO4(OH)2].
Potassium Osmate is a convenient material to give osmium (VIII) oxide in which
the solvated anion undergoes an acid catalysed dehydration to form OsO4 in situ.
Please feel free to contact us for further information regarding any of our products or for a discussion to find out how we can support your companies needs, either by phone on +44(0)1382 624127 or use the relevant Product Enquiry or Technical Enquiry forms.