Osmium Tetroxide – Features, Applications and Analytical Techniques for its Detection
Keywords:
octahedral oxide, chemical weapon, DNA labeling, electron microscopy, voltammetry, paste electrodesAbstract
The review deals with osmium tetroxide, a very toxic volatile substance. It can be misused as a chemical weapon intoxicating by inhalation in closed space with limited air circulation (airports, shopping centres). In contrast, osmium tetroxide is very important compound in analytical chemistry especially in electron microscopy and DNA labelling in biophysical chemistry. Some analytical techniques for its detection are discussed with an emphasis on voltammetric methods.