Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Science & Nature / Science / Chemistry / Inorganic Chemistry / Difference Between Osmium Tetroxide and Potassium Permanganate

Difference Between Osmium Tetroxide and Potassium Permanganate

February 17, 2020 Posted by Madhu

The key difference between osmium tetroxide and potassium permanganate is that osmium tetroxide is a covalent compound containing an oxide of osmium whereas potassium permanganate is an ionic compound containing potassium ions and manganite anions.

Osmium tetroxide and potassium permanganate are inorganic compounds. Both these compounds occur in the solid-state at room temperature, but they have very different chemical and physical properties because they have different atoms and different chemical bonds between atoms.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Osmium Tetroxide 
3. What is Potassium Permanganate
4. Side by Side Comparison – Osmium Tetroxide vs Potassium Permanganate in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Osmium Tetroxide?

Osmium tetroxide is an oxide of osmium having the chemical formula OsO4. It is in the solid-state at room temperature. Although osmium is rare and toxic, it has a wide variety of uses. The osmium tetroxide solid is a volatile solid. Therefore, it undergoes sublimation (convert into the gas phase without going through a liquid phase). It is usually colourless in its pure form but samples appear in slightly yellow colour. This is due to the presence of OsO2 as an impurity.

Difference Between Osmium Tetroxide and Potassium Permanganate

Figure 01: Appearance of Osmium Tetroxide

In this osmium tetroxide compound, the osmium atom is in +8 oxidation state. The solid osmium tetroxide has a monoclinic crystal structure. But if we consider a single osmium tetroxide molecule, it is tetrahedral, and it is nonpolar. This solid has an acrid chlorine-like odour. It is slightly water-soluble but soluble in many organic solvents. We can produce osmium tetroxide via treating osmium power with oxygen gas at an ambient temperature, which slowly reacts to form the osmium tetroxide compound.

When considering the uses of osmium tetroxide, there is a wide variety of applications, including organic compound synthesis, biological staining, polymer staining, osmium ore refining, etc. However, we need to take preventive measures before handling this compound because it is a toxic compound.

What is Potassium Permanganate?

Potassium permanganate is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula KMnO4. It is an ionic compound (a salt of potassium) containing a potassium cation in combination with a manganite anion. This compound is a strong oxidizing agent. This is because it can undergo reduction through the manganese atom in the anion; manganese in this compound is in +7 oxidation state, which is the highest oxidation state it can reside in. Therefore, it can be easily reduced into lower oxidation states by oxidizing other oxidizable compounds.

Key Difference - Osmium Tetroxide vs Potassium Permanganate

Figure 02: Appearance of Potassium Permanganate

Potassium permanganate occurs in the solid-state at room temperature. It appears like needle-like structures that are dark purple in colour. It is highly water-soluble and when dissolved – it forms a dark purple coloured solution. We can produce potassium permanganate industrially through the fusion of manganese oxide with potassium hydroxide, followed by heating in air.

There are many uses of potassium permanganate in different areas such as medical uses, water treatment, synthesis of organic compounds, analytical uses such as titrations, fruit preservation, included in survival kits as a hypergolic fire starter, etc.

What is the Difference Between Osmium Tetroxide and Potassium Permanganate?

The key difference between osmium tetroxide and potassium permanganate is that osmium tetroxide is a covalent compound containing an oxide of osmium, whereas potassium permanganate is an ionic compound containing potassium ion and manganite anion. Moreover, osmium tetroxide is solid at room temperature with a slight yellow -colourless appearance, while potassium permanganate is a dark purple coloured solid with a needle-like structure.

Below is a more detailed comparison of the difference between osmium tetroxide and potassium permanganate.

Difference Between Osmium Tetroxide and Potassium Permanganate in Tabular Form

Summary – Osmium Tetroxide vs Potassium Permanganate

Osmium tetroxide and potassium permanganate are inorganic compounds. The key difference between osmium tetroxide and potassium permanganate is that osmium tetroxide is a covalent compound containing an oxide of osmium whereas potassium permanganate is an ionic compound containing potassium ion and manganite anion.

Reference:

1. “Potassium Permanganate.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Feb. 2020, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Osmium tetroxide 0.1 gram in ampoule” By W. Oelen – (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Potassium-permanganate-sample” By Benjah-bmm27 – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

Related posts:

Difference Between Natural and Artificial RadioactivityDifference Between Natural and Artificial Radioactivity Difference Between Bromine and IodineDifference Between Bromine and Iodine Key Difference Between Muriatic and Sulfuric AcidDifference Between Muriatic and Sulfuric Acid Difference Between Humidity and Relative HumidityDifference Between Humidity and Relative Humidity Key Difference Between Hartmann's Solution and Normal SalineDifference Between Hartmann’s Solution and Normal Saline

Filed Under: Inorganic Chemistry

About the Author: Madhu

Madhu is a graduate in Biological Sciences with BSc (Honours) Degree and currently persuing a Masters Degree in Industrial and Environmental Chemistry. With a mind rooted firmly to basic principals of chemistry and passion for ever evolving field of industrial chemistry, she is keenly interested to be a true companion for those who seek knowledge in the subject of chemistry.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between Ammonia and Ammonium Hydroxide

Difference Between Ammonia and Ammonium Hydroxide

Difference Between Folklore and Folktale

Difference Between Folklore and Folktale

Difference Between Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket and Motorola Atrix 2

Difference Between Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket and Motorola Atrix 2

Difference Between Classical Economics and Neoclassical Economics

Difference Between Bacteremia and Septicemia

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Conjunction and Interjection
  • What is the Difference Between Diphtheria and Whooping Cough
  • What is the Difference Between Polyester and Satin
  • What is the Difference Between Syphilis and Gonorrhea
  • What is the Difference Between Stainless Steel and Sterling Silver
  • What is the Difference Between Infrared and Induction Cooker
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.