Skip to Content
Merck
All Photos(1)

Key Documents

O5500

Sigma-Aldrich

Osmium tetroxide

Sealed ampule.

Synonym(s):

Osmium(VIII)-oxide, ‘Osmic acid’

Sign Into View Organizational & Contract Pricing


About This Item

Linear Formula:
OsO4
CAS Number:
Molecular Weight:
254.23
EC Number:
MDL number:
UNSPSC Code:
12171500
PubChem Substance ID:
NACRES:
NA.47

vapor density

8.8 (vs air)

Quality Level

vapor pressure

7 mmHg ( 20 °C)

form

powder

reaction suitability

reagent type: oxidant

bp

130 °C (lit.)

mp

39.5-41 °C (lit.)

SMILES string

O=[Os](=O)(=O)=O

InChI

1S/4O.Os

InChI key

VUVGYHUDAICLFK-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Looking for similar products? Visit Product Comparison Guide

General description

Osmium tetroxide (OsO4) is a heavy tetrahedral, symmetrical molecule composed of osmium, a third-row transition metal. Osmium tetroxide is both a dye, and a non-coagulant fixative agent in electron microscopy primarily used for the examination of biological tissue components in the histopathology laboratory. Specimens are postfixed with osmium testroxide to ensure preservation of the lipids.

Application

Osmium tetroxide has been used as a fixative reagent for Brevibacterium mcbrellneri, and curcumin treated human lung cancer cell lines′ observation with a scanning electron microscope. It is also suitable as a fixative for ultrastructural analysis of Toxoplasma gondii′s skeletal muscle cells.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Osmium tetroxide chemically combines with lipids making them insoluble; only 7% of the lipids can be extracted after the fixation. Therefore, the cell membranes comprising phospholipids become black and electron-dense after fixation in osmium tetroxide. It is also used to fix small amount of fat maintained in sections during paraffin processing.

Other Notes

Due to the hazardous nature of osmium tetroxide, it is recommended to use an ampule opener when using this chemical.

Pictograms

Skull and crossbonesCorrosion

Signal Word

Danger

Hazard Statements

Hazard Classifications

Acute Tox. 1 Dermal - Acute Tox. 2 Inhalation - Acute Tox. 2 Oral - Eye Dam. 1 - Skin Corr. 1B

Storage Class Code

6.1A - Combustible acute toxic Cat. 1 and 2 / very toxic hazardous materials

WGK

WGK 1

Flash Point(F)

Not applicable

Flash Point(C)

Not applicable

Personal Protective Equipment

dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves

Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Search for Certificates of Analysis (COA) by entering the products Lot/Batch Number. Lot and Batch Numbers can be found on a product’s label following the words ‘Lot’ or ‘Batch’.

Already Own This Product?

Find documentation for the products that you have recently purchased in the Document Library.

Visit the Document Library

Yukihiko Sugita et al.
The Journal of general virology, 92(Pt 11), 2485-2493 (2011-07-29)
Negatively stained influenza virions sometimes show irregular morphology and are often referred to as pleomorphic. However, this irregular morphology has not been visualized when ultrathin-section transmission and scanning electron microscopies are used. This study focused on the effects of ultracentrifugation
Carsten Købler et al.
Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry, 406(16), 3863-3873 (2014-01-23)
Ultrastructural characterisation is important for understanding carbon nanotube (CNT) toxicity and how the CNTs interact with cells and tissues. The standard method for this involves using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). However, in particular, the sample preparation, using a microtome to
Manuel Marx et al.
Nature protocols, 7(2), 394-407 (2012-02-04)
In this report, we describe a reliable protocol for biocytin labeling of neuronal tissue and diaminobenzidine (DAB)-based processing of brain slices. We describe how to embed tissues in different media and how to subsequently histochemically label the tissues for light
F Wyss et al.
Veterinary pathology, 52(6), 1235-1242 (2015-01-27)
Pododermatitis is frequent in captive flamingos worldwide, but little is known about the associated histopathologic lesions. Involvement of a papillomavirus or herpesvirus has been suspected. Histopathologic evaluation and viral assessment of biopsies from 19 live and 10 dead captive greater
Jamie Hinks et al.
Applied and environmental microbiology, 81(6), 1949-1958 (2015-01-13)
The modification of microbial membranes to achieve biotechnological strain improvement with exogenous small molecules, such as oligopolyphenylenevinylene-conjugated oligoelectrolyte (OPV-COE) membrane insertion molecules (MIMs), is an emerging biotechnological field. Little is known about the interactions of OPV-COEs with their target, the

Our team of scientists has experience in all areas of research including Life Science, Material Science, Chemical Synthesis, Chromatography, Analytical and many others.

Contact Technical Service