ruthenium
Americannoun
noun
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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.
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See Periodic Table
Etymology
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The most dramatic changes occurred when the ruthenium dioxide film reached approximately 4 nanometers thick, which is about the width of a single DNA strand.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2026
Many widely used photocatalyst metals, including ruthenium and iridium, are scarce and expensive.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 27, 2026
By adjusting the ligands and ions arranged around the ruthenium molecules, they demonstrated that a single device can display many different dynamic responses.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 3, 2026
Until now, many of these light-driven processes depended on ruthenium, osmium, or iridium -- elements that are costly, scarce, and create environmental concerns when mined.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 26, 2025
The lower ovoids in ruthenium are identical in composition, with those of iron, cobalt and nickel and may be studied under Iron.
From Occult Chemistry Clairvoyant Observations on the Chemical Elements by Sinnett, A. P.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
