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

/ ro̅o̅-thē′nē-əm /

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.

From 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.

From Science Daily

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

From 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.

From Science Daily

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

From Science Daily