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Columbia Encyclopedia entry: ruthenium

Rutheniumroothē'nēəm, metallic chemical element; symbol Ru; at. no. 44; at. wt. 101.07; m.p. about 2,310°C; b.p. about 3,900°C; sp. gr. 12.41 at 20°C; valence commonly +2, +3, +4, +6, or +8. Ruthenium is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal with a close-packed hexagonal crystalline structure. It is found directly above osmium in Group 8 of the periodic table. Below about 100°C ruthenium is insoluble in acids, including aqua regia, but reacts violently if potassium chlorate is added. It reacts with the halogens and with fused alkali hydroxides. When heated above 800°C it oxidizes, but it does not react with air at room temperature. It forms compounds with silicon and sulfur. Its compounds resemble those of osmium. Ruthenium is found in nature with other metals of the so-called platinum group in river sands, in minerals such as laurite (the sulfide) and osmiridium, and in association with certain ores containing platinum, copper, and nickel. It is obtained commercially as a byproduct of the refining of nickel sulfide ores mined near Sudbury, Ont., Canada. Ruthenium metal powder is obtained as the final product of a complex chemical process. It is used as a catalyst in hydrogenation, isomerization, nitrogenation, oxidation, and reforming reactions. The metal is used as a hardener in electrical contact alloys and filaments, in jewelry, in pen nibs, and in instrument pivots. It is usually alloyed with other metals. It is a very good hardener for palladium and platinum, and vastly improves the corrosion resistance of titanium when added in small amounts. It is also used in alloys with cobalt, molybdenum, nickel, tungsten, and other metals. Ruthenium compounds are used to color ceramics and glass. Ruthenium was discovered in 1827 in an impure form by G. W. Osann in residues of crude platinum ores from the Ural Mts. of Russia. Pure ruthenium was first prepared by K. K. Klaus in 1845; he showed that Osann's sample contained at least one other metal.

Wikipedia search results for: Ruthenium

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Ruthenium is a chemical element that has the symbol Ru and atomic number 44. A rare transition metal of the platinum group of the periodic table, ruthenium is found associated with platinum ores and used as a catalyst in some platinum alloys. A polyvalent hard white metal, ruthenium is a member of the platinum group, and is in group 8 of the periodic table: but has an atypical configuration in its outermost electron shells compared to the rest of the members. Ruthenium has four crystal modifications and does not tarnish at normal temperatures, but does oxidize readily on exposure to air to form ruthenium tetroxide, RuO 4 , a strong oxidizing...more »

Columbia Encyclopedia search results: ruthenium

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Periodic Table of the Elements: Ruthenium
Periodic Table of the Elements: RutheniumAtomic Number:44Atomic Symbol:RuRutheniumAtomic Weight:101.07ElectronConfiguration:2 · 8 · 1815 · 1
Ru
Ru, symbol for the element ruthenium.
Wilkinson, Sir Geofferey
Wilkinson, Sir Geofferey, 1921–, English inorganic chemist. He shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Ernst Otto Fischer for their independent research on the organometallic compounds o...
platinum
Platinum, metallic chemical element; symbol Pt; at. no. 78; at. wt. 195.08; m.p. 1,772°C; b.p. 3,827±100°C; sp. gr. 21.45 at 20°C; valence +2 or +4. Pure platinum is a malleable, ductile, lust...
catalyst
Catalyst, substance that can cause a change in the rate of a chemical reaction without itself being consumed in the reaction; the changing of the reaction rate by use of a catalyst is called c...
Elements (table)
ElementsElementSymbolAtomic NumberAtomic Weight1Melting Point(Degrees Celsius)Boiling Point(Degrees Celsius)1 Parentheses indicate most stable isotope.actiniumAc89227.02781050.3200....

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