Osmium is today defined as the heaviest substance on the planet. Just one cubic centimeter of this substance weighs 22.6 grams. It was discovered in 1804 by the English chemist Smithson Tennant, when gold was dissolved in aqua regia. After a chemical experiment , a sediment remained in the test tube. This was due to the peculiarity of osmium, it is insoluble in alkalis and acids.
The heaviest element on the planet
It is a bluish-white metal powder. It is found in nature in the form of seven isotopes, six of them are stable and one is unstable. The density slightly exceeds iridium, which has a density of 22.4 grams per cubic centimeter. Of the materials discovered today, the heaviest substance in the world is osmium.
It belongs to the group of
rare earth metals such as lanthanum, yttrium, scandium and other lanthanides.
More expensive than gold and diamonds
It is produced very little, about ten thousand kilograms per year. Even the largest source of osmium, the Dzhezkazgan deposit, contains about three ten millionths of a share. The exchange value of the rare metal in the world reaches about 200 thousand dollars per gram. At the same time, the maximum purity of the element during the cleaning process is about seventy percent.
Although 90.4 percent purity was achieved in Russian laboratories, the amount of metal did not exceed a few milligrams.
Density of matter beyond planet Earth
Osmium is undoubtedly the leader of the heaviest elements on our planet. But if we turn our gaze into space, then many substances heavier than our "king" of heavy elements will be opened to our attention.
The fact is that in the Universe there are conditions somewhat different than on Earth. The gravity of a number of space objects is so great that the substance is incredibly compacted.
If we consider the structure of the atom, we find that the distances in the interatomic world are somewhat reminiscent of the space we see. Where planets, stars and other cosmic bodies are at a fairly large distance. The rest is empty. It is precisely such a structure that atoms have, and with strong gravity this distance decreases quite strongly. Up to the “indentation” of some elementary particles into others.
Neutron stars - superdense objects of space
In searches outside our Earth, we will be able to detect the heaviest matter in space on neutron stars.
These are quite unique cosmic inhabitants, one of the possible types of star evolution. The diameter of such objects is from 10 to 200 kilometers, with a mass equal to our Sun or 2-3 times more.
This cosmic body is mainly composed of a neutron core, which is composed of fluid neutrons. Although, according to some assumptions of scientists, it should be in a solid state, reliable information does not exist today. However, it is known that it is neutron stars, reaching their compression limit, that subsequently turn into supernova stars with a tremendous energy release, of the order of 10 43-10 45 joules.
The density of such a star is comparable, for example, with the weight of Mount Everest, placed in a matchbox. This is hundreds of billions of tons in one cubic millimeter. For example, to make it clearer how high the density of matter is, take our planet with its mass of 5.9 × 1024 kg and “turn” it into a neutron star.
As a result, in order for the density of the Earth to become equal to the density of a neutron star, it must be reduced to the size of an ordinary apple, with a diameter of 7-10 centimeters. The density of unique stellar objects increases with moving toward the center.
Layers and Density
The outer layer of the star is a magnetosphere. Directly below it, the density of the substance already reaches about one ton per cubic centimeter. Given our knowledge of the Earth, at the moment, this is the heaviest substance of the elements found. But do not rush to conclusions.
We continue our research on unique stars. They are also called pulsars, due to the high speed of rotation around their axis. This indicator for various objects ranges from several tens to hundreds of revolutions per second.
Let us continue in the study of superdense cosmic bodies. This is followed by a layer that has the characteristics of a metal, but most likely it is similar in behavior and structure. The crystals are much smaller than we see in the crystal lattice of Earth substances. To build a line from crystals of 1 centimeter, you will need to lay out more than 10 billion elements. The density in this layer is one million times higher than in the outer. This is not the heaviest star material. This is followed by a layer rich in neutrons, whose density is a thousand times higher than the previous one.
The core of a neutron star and its density
Below is the core, it is here that the density reaches its maximum - two times higher than the overlying layer. The substance of the core of the celestial body consists of all elementary particles known to physics. On this we reached the end of the journey to the core of the star in search of the heaviest substance in space.
The mission in search of substances unique in density in the Universe, it would seem, is completed. But space is full of mysteries and undiscovered phenomena, stars, facts and patterns.
Black holes in the universe
You should pay attention to what is already open today. These are black holes. Perhaps it is these mysterious objects that can be contenders for the fact that the heaviest substance in the Universe is their component. Note that the gravity of black holes is so great that light cannot leave it.
According to the assumptions of scientists, a substance pulled into the region of space of time is compacted so that there is no space left between elementary particles.
Unfortunately, beyond the event horizon (the so-called border, where light and any object, under the influence of gravitational forces, cannot leave a black hole), our guesses and indirect assumptions based on outbursts of particle flows follow.
A number of scholars have suggested that space and time are mixed beyond the event horizon. There is an opinion that they can be a “passage” to another Universe. Perhaps this is true, although it is quite possible that beyond these limits another space opens up with completely new laws. An area where time will change into a “place” with space. The location of the future and past is determined only by the choice of following. Like our choice, go right or left.
It is potentially permissible that in the Universe there are civilizations that have mastered time travel through black holes. Perhaps in the future, people from planet Earth will discover the secret of traveling through time.