![]() ![]() Their position deep within the d-block in the sixth row explains their extreme hardness and high melting points. Specialty Applicationsĭespite their scarcity, osmium and iridium are sought-after metals for specialty applications. Odd-numbered iridium is even more scarce then even-numbered osmium, as the Oddo-Harkins rule predicts. Most of the iridium and osmium that was part of the early Earth more than four billion years ago sank into the iron-rich core along with the other siderophilic elements. ![]() Both are far less common than even the precious metals platinum or gold. Both osmium and iridium have a relatively low abundance compared to many of the lighter transition metals.Īnd at Earth’s surface, iridium is remarkably rare compared to its average abundance in the solar system. When osmium is dominant, the alloy takes the name ‘iridosmine’. When the alloy has a greater percentage of iridium, it has been called ‘osmiridium’. Osmium and iridium mix so well and so easily that they are often found in nature as an alloy. (Image: Kostiantyn Ivanyshen/Shutterstock) Osmium and IridiumĪll six of the platinum group elements tend to cluster together, both on the table and in nature, but there is one pair that is especially cozy-osmium and iridium. The meteorite that killed the dinosaurs was tracked down, and a 65-million-year-old cold case solved, thanks to clues left by iridium. But probably the greatest impact of iridium on science was Walter Alvarez’s breakthrough idea to use this element to understand what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Davis Jr., Georgetown University Osmium and iridium, two exceptionally rare elements here on Earth, are the true gold standard of durability and heat resistance in engineering. ![]()
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