About Iridium

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Atomic Number : 77
Atomic Weight : 192.217
Melting Point :2719K (2446ºC or 4435º F)
Boiling Point : 4701 K (4428ºC or 4435ºF)
Density :22.42 grams per cubic centimeter
Phase at Room Temprature : Solid
Element Classification : Metal
Period Number : 6
Group Number :9
Group name : None

Iridium got its name from the Latin word "iris" meaning rainbow. Iridium and Osmium were discovered at the same time by the British chemist Smithson Tennant in 1803. Iridium and osmium were identified in the black residue remaining after dissolving platinum ore with aqua regia, a mixture of 25 % nitric acid (HNO3) and 75% hydrochloric acid (HCL). Today,Iridium is still obtained from platinum ores and as a by product of mining nickel.
Pure iridium is very brittle and is nearly impossible to machine. It is primarily used as a hardening agent for platinum. Platinum-iridium alloys are used to make crucibles and other high temperature equipment. Iridium is also alloyed with osmium to make the tips of fountain pens and compass bearings.
Iridium is the most corrosive resistant metal known. For this reason,the standard meterbar was created from an alloy of 90% platinum and 10% Iridium. This bar was replaced as the definition of the meter in 1960 when the meter was redefined in terms of the orange-red spectral line of krypton-86 A thin, worldwide layer of Iridium exists in a layer of sediment that was put down at the end of the Cretaceous period. Since meteors and asteroids contain a higher percentage of iridium than the earth's crust, this iridium enriched layer is seen as evidence that the earth was struck by a large meteor or asteroid at that time. Dust from the impact would have spread around the globe, depositing the iridium. The dust also would have blocked the sun for a time , resulting in the extinction of many plant and animal species, including the dinosaurs.
Iridium is found uncombined in nature with platinum and other platinum group metals in alluvial deposits. Naturally occurring iridium alloys include osmium and iridiosmium,both of which are mixtures of iridium and osmium.It is recovered commercially as a by product from nickel and copper mining and processing.

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