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Osmium was discovered by English chemist Smithson Tennant in 1804. The element was named osmium after the Greek word, osme, which means a smell, because of the pungent and peculiar odor of its volatile oxide.
Osmium occurs in nature, always associated with other platinum group metals. It usually is found in lesser abundance than other noble metals. Its most important mineral is osmiridium (or iridosmine), a naturally occurring mineral alloyed with iridium.
The commercial applications of osmium are limited and considerably fewer than other platinum group metals. Its alloys are very hard and are used to make tips of fountain-pen nibs, phonograph needles, and pivots. The metal also exhibits effective catalytic properties in hydrogenation and other organic reactions. Such catalytic applications, however, are limited and osmium fails to replace other noble metals, particularly palladium and platinum, which are more effective as catalysts and cost less.