u/Infrequentredditor6

First two pics are of potassium osmate K₂[OsO₂(OH)₄], the latter two are potassium osmyl oxalate K₂[OsO₂(C₂O₄)₂]. Both are hexavalent osmium salts with actual applications.

Potassium osmate finds use in the Sharpless Asymmetric Dihydroxylation, whereby the long and tedious industrial process of converting alkenes such as ethylene into ethylene oxide, and ethylene oxide into ethylene glycol can be accomplished simply, conveniently, efficiently, and safely in a single reaction. Vicinal diols (like ethylene glycol) are very important reagents used in food, medicine, and for creating fabrics, plastics, antifreeze, etc., and an entire century was spent improving and refining the multiple complicated industrial processes necessary just to produce one of them. The asymmetric dihydroxylation method came with a Nobel Prize, and today AD-mixtures are available pre-made for use in labs. (it goes without saying, this reaction can't be scaled up to industrial size due to the rarity of osmium and probably because it might not scale safely either. The OMEGA process developed by Shell is still being used).

Potassium osmyl oxalate containing synthetic Os-191 began use for radionuclide angiocardiography in children's hospitals in the 1980's. In 2012 a paper was published investigating a possible improved production of this method using potassium hexachloroosmate (which I've made previously).

Silver hexachloroosmate is the latest compound I've synthesized. It's extremely rare and obscure, potentially tricky to make, and extraordinarily useless. The neat part is the molecule contains 2 precious metals.

The ammonium salt is pure and was prepared differently from last time, via precipitation and drying. The residue was used to make the silver salt.

I like heavy metals

Cesium hexachloroosmate and some weird aquated version of the former (at least I think it is), which I guess would be cesium aquopentachloroosmate.

Originally bought from JDchemist in good condition.

Now that 10 years have passed, some phosphoric acid has accumulated, and a really acrid odor is slowly leaking out of the vial.

I've got no plan for resolving this cause it's only 1 gram and I'm not well versed in the chemistry of phosphorus.

If you're gonna buy RP buy it in an ampule so it will last long-term.

Made from scratch and nearly pure, it just needs to be washed with ethanol to remove all the excess ammonium chloride before I can turn it into silver hexachloroosmate.

Fully dried and stored, probably lab grade. Only question now is... what to do with it?

Unlike the slightly soluble potassium and ammonium salts, which both require evaporation to isolate, the cesium salt is almost totally insoluble in water. It also centrifuges very easily.

The chloroosmic acid (H₂OsCl₆) was prepared by dissolving osmium dioxide in hot concentrated hydrochloric acid, and the cesium chloride was purchased from Metallium.