Ruthenium
(Ru)
Physical Properties
Properties
Properties (continued)
History
Applications & Uses
Ruthenium is most commonly used as an alloying agent especially hardening platinum and palladium. When adding 0.1% Ruthenium to Titanium, it makes it 100% more resistant to corrosion. It is also used as a plating with a darker gray pewter-like shine when a darker finish is preferred.
Compounds
Ruthenium is not very reactive so it does not have many useful compounds. Ruthenium, along with other transition metals, mostly just has individual uses.
Isotopes
Ruthenium does not have many well-known isotopes but it does have some smaller ones that are still useful. One of these include, Ru-99 which is used for NMR studies. Ru-96 is used for the production of the radioisotopes. Ru-98 can be used to study excitations in atomic nuclei. Ru-101 can be used in studies linked to the structure as well as the vibrations of nuclei.
Fun Facts
- It was the last of the six platinum group metals to be discovered.
- It is considered very rare and only around 20 tons of ruthenium are annually produced.
- It is the seventy-forth most common metal on Earth.
Works Consulted
- Element Card: Gray, Theodore W. (2008). The Photographic Card Deck of the Elements.
- Elements Book: Gray, Theodore W. (2009). The Elements: A visual exploration of every known atom in the universe. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.
- Chemistry Explained- Ruthenium: http://www.chemistryexplained.com/elements/P-T/Ruthenium.html
- Periodic Table- Ruthenium: http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/44/ruthenium
- Trace Sciences International- Ruthenium: http://www.tracesciences.com/ru.htm