ruthenium

[roo-thee-nee-uhm, -theen-yuhm]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a steel-gray, rare metallic element, belonging to the platinum group of metals. Ru; 101.07; 44; 12.2 at 20°C.

ruthenium

/ ruːˈθiːnɪəm /

noun

1. a hard brittle white element of the platinum metal group. It occurs free with other platinum metals in pentlandite and other ores and is used to harden platinum and palladium. Symbol: Ru; atomic no: 44; atomic wt: 101.07; valency: 0–8; relative density: 12.41; melting pt: 2334°C; boiling pt: 4150°C

ruthenium

1. A rare, silvery-gray metallic element that is hard, brittle, and very resistant to corrosion. It is used to harden alloys of platinum and palladium for jewelry and electrical contacts. Atomic number 44; atomic weight 101.07; melting point 2,310°C; boiling point 3,900°C; specific gravity 12.41; valence 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

2. See Periodic Table

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruthenium¹

1840–50; < New Latin, named after Ruthenia (from the fact that it was first found in ore from the region); -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruthenium¹

C19: from Medieval Latin Ruthenia Russia, where it was first discovered

Example Sentences

The material, based on a framework of ruthenium, fulfils the requirements of the 'Kitaev quantum spin liquid state' -- an elusive phenomenon that scientists have been trying to understand for decades.

Read more on Science Daily

For the current study, the team focused on a catalyst called ruthenium dioxide that speeds up the oxygen half of the reaction, since that's the bottleneck in the process.

Read more on Science Daily

Among these, ruthenium -- a platinum group metal -- has emerged as an important and commonly used catalyst.

Read more on Science Daily

"Almost every chemical, every plastic that we use on a day-to-day basis, came from a catalytic process, and many of these catalytic processes rely on precious metals like platinum, rhodium, ruthenium and others," Bayles said.

Read more on Science Daily

For their experiment, the team exposed a thin layer of ruthenium dioxide to X-rays.

Read more on Science Daily