See Also: osmium(medicine)
osmium(dictionary)
osmium compounds(medicine)
osmium tetroxide(medicine)

osmium (iou)



osmium noun. E19.
[from Greek osme odour + -IUM (with ref. to the peculiar pungent smell of the tetroxide).]
A hard heavy white metal which is a chemical element, atomic no. 76, belonging to the platinum group and used esp. in catalysts. (Symbol Os.)
Comb.: osmium tetroxide a poisonous pale yellow solid, OsO4, with a distinctive pungent smell, used in solution as a biological stain, esp. for lipids, and as a fixative; also called osmic acid.