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Periodic table
Period 6Group 9
77Solid
Ir 192.217 Atomic mass · u
Transition metals

Iridium

Iridium is a chemical element with symbol Ir and atomic number 77. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, iridium is generally credited with being the second densest element (after osmium) based on measured density, although calculations involving the space lattices of the elements show that iridium is denser. It is also the most corrosion-resistant metal, even at temperatures as high as 2000 °C. Although only certain molten salts and halogens are corrosive to solid iridium, finely divided iridium dust is much more reactive and can be flammable.

Discovery 1803 (Smithson Tennant)
Iridium electron shellsIr77 protons
K2L8M18N32O15P2
A simplified shell model. Electron positions are illustrative.

Physical properties

Values for the element in its standard state.

Density
22.65g/cm³
Melting point
2,739K
Boiling point
4,701K
Atomic radius
137pm
Bonding type
Metallic
Molar heat
25.1J/(mol·K)

Inside the atom

Electron arrangement and the energy behind its behavior.

Full electron configuration

1s, 2 electrons; 2s, 2 electrons; 2p, 6 electrons; 3s, 2 electrons; 3p, 6 electrons; 3d, 10 electrons; 4s, 2 electrons; 4p, 6 electrons; 4d, 10 electrons; 5s, 2 electrons; 5p, 6 electrons; 4f, 14 electrons; 5d, 7 electrons; 6s, 2 electrons;

[Xe] represents 54 core electrons. The full view shows them explicitly.

77 electrons Orbital order preserved from source

Electronegativity
2.2Pauling scale
First ionization energy
880kJ/mol
Electron affinity
151kJ/mol
Van der Waals radius
Not available

About iridium

Appearance
Silvery white
Discovery
1803 (Smithson Tennant)

A missing value means it is unavailable in this reference dataset. Values can vary with measurement method and conditions.