How to Quench Osmium Tetroxide?

All lab ware that has contacted osmium tetroxide should be decontaminated by rinsing or dipping in corn oil or aqueous solutions of sodium sulfide or sulfite before removing from the hood. Corn oil is highly recommended for decontamination as it reacts with and thus quenches the reactive osmium tetroxide.

How do you dissolve osmium?

Osmium is a bluish-white and shiny metal. Osmium can be dissolved by acids or aqua regia only if exposed to these liquids for a long period. The metal reacts with oxygen to form osmium tetroxide (OsO₄) after heating.

Is osmium tetroxide soluble in water?

Osmium Tetroxide Method

Pure OsO₄ is colorless and volatile; it has a characteristic acrid chlorine-like odor and is soluble in a wide range of organic solvents. It is also moderately soluble in water, with which it reacts reversibly to form osmic acid.