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ruthenium

[roo-thee-nee-uh m, -theen-yuh m]
noun Chemistry.
  1. a steel-gray, rare metallic element, belonging to the platinum group of metals. Symbol: Ru; atomic weight: 101.07; atomic number: 44; specific gravity: 12.2 at 20°C.
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Origin of ruthenium

1840–50; < New Latin, named after Ruthenia (from the fact that it was first found in ore from the region); see -ium
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ruthenium

Historical Examples

  • In Fremys process for separating osmium from the residues of platinum ore, ruthenium occurs in a dioxide.

    Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II

    Arnold Cooley

  • The lower ovoids in ruthenium are identical in composition, with those of iron, cobalt and nickel and may be studied under Iron.

    Occult Chemistry

    Annie Besant and Charles W. Leadbeater

British Dictionary definitions for ruthenium

ruthenium

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
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Word Origin

C19: from Medieval Latin Ruthenia Russia, where it was first discovered
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ruthenium

n.

metallic element, 1845, named by Russian chemist Karl Klauss, from a name proposed earlier (1828) in reference to a metal extracted from ores from the Ural Mountains of Russia (see Ruthenian).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
ruthenium in Medicine

ruthenium

(rōō-thē′nē-əm)
n. Symbol Ru
  1. A hard acid-resistant metallic element that is found in platinum ores. Atomic number 44.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
ruthenium in Science

ruthenium

[rōō-thē′nē-əm]
Ru
  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. See Periodic Table.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.