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44
Ru
101.1
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1 gram bead of high-purity ruthenium.Photo by Tomihahndorf.
| Classification: | Ruthenium is a transition metal |
| Color: | silvery-white |
| Atomic weight: | 101.07 |
| State: | solid |
| Melting point: | 2330 oC, 2603 K |
| Boiling point: | 4150 oC, 4423 K |
| Shells: | 2,8,18,15,1 |
| Electron configuration: | [Kr] 4d7 5s1 |
| Density @ 20oC: | 12.2 g/cm3 |
| Atomic volume: | 8.3 cm3/mol |
| Structure: | hcp: hexagonal close pkd |
| Hardness: | 6.5 mohs |
Discovery of Ruthenium
Ruthenium was discovered in 1827 in an impure form by Gottfried W. Osann in residues of crude platinum ores.
Karl Klauss isolated the metal in 1844 from the impure oxide.
The element's name comes from the Latin word 'Ruthenia' meaning Russia after Osann's homeland.
Appearance & Characteristics
Harmful effects:
Ruthenium is a suspected carcinogen and its compounds strongly stain the skin. Ruthenium tetroxide (RuO4) is highly toxic.
Characteristics:
Ruthenium is a very rare, hard, lustrous, brittle, silvery-white metal that does not tarnish at room temperature. The metal is unaffected by air, water and acids. It reacts with molten alkali and halogens and can oxidize explosively.
Small amounts of ruthenium are used to harden platinum and palladium and it can also be alloyed with these metals to make electrical contacts for severe wear resistance. The addition of 0.1% ruthenium improves the corrosion resistance of titanium a hundred times over. Ruthenium has catalytic properties; for example, hydrogen sulfide can be split by light in the presence of an aqueous suspension of cadmium sulfide particles loaded with ruthenium dioxide.
Ruthenium is a suspected carcinogen and its compounds strongly stain the skin. Ruthenium tetroxide (RuO4) is highly toxic.
Characteristics:
Ruthenium is a very rare, hard, lustrous, brittle, silvery-white metal that does not tarnish at room temperature. The metal is unaffected by air, water and acids. It reacts with molten alkali and halogens and can oxidize explosively.
Uses of Ruthenium
Small amounts of ruthenium are used to harden platinum and palladium and it can also be alloyed with these metals to make electrical contacts for severe wear resistance. The addition of 0.1% ruthenium improves the corrosion resistance of titanium a hundred times over. Ruthenium has catalytic properties; for example, hydrogen sulfide can be split by light in the presence of an aqueous suspension of cadmium sulfide particles loaded with ruthenium dioxide.
Abundance & Isotopes
Abundance earth's crust: 1 part per billion by weight, 0.2 parts per billion by moles
Abundance solar system: 5 parts per billion by weight, 0.06 part per billion by moles
Cost, pure: $1400 per 100g
Cost, bulk: $650 per 100g
Source: Ruthenium is found free in nature often with the other platinum group metals. Commercially, it is obtained from pentlandite (a sulfide of iron and nickel) which contains small quantities of ruthenium. Ruthenium can also be extracted from spent nuclear fuel, however if obtained this way it will contain radioactive isotopes. It has to be stored safely for at least ten years until the radioactive isotopes have decayed.
Isotopes: Ruthenium has 26 isotopes whose half-lives are known, with mass numbers from 90 to 115. Of these 7 are stable: 96Ru, 98Ru, 99Ru, 100Ru, 101Ru, 102Ru, and104Ru. Naturally, the most common isotope is 102Ru with an abundance of 31.6%.
Abundance solar system: 5 parts per billion by weight, 0.06 part per billion by moles
Cost, pure: $1400 per 100g
Cost, bulk: $650 per 100g
Source: Ruthenium is found free in nature often with the other platinum group metals. Commercially, it is obtained from pentlandite (a sulfide of iron and nickel) which contains small quantities of ruthenium. Ruthenium can also be extracted from spent nuclear fuel, however if obtained this way it will contain radioactive isotopes. It has to be stored safely for at least ten years until the radioactive isotopes have decayed.
Isotopes: Ruthenium has 26 isotopes whose half-lives are known, with mass numbers from 90 to 115. Of these 7 are stable: 96Ru, 98Ru, 99Ru, 100Ru, 101Ru, 102Ru, and104Ru. Naturally, the most common isotope is 102Ru with an abundance of 31.6%.
Energies
Specific heat capacity: 0.238 J g-1 K-1
Heat of fusion: 24.0 kJ mol-1
1st ionization energy: 711.1 kJ mol-1
3rd ionization energy: 2746.9 kJ mol-1
Heat of fusion: 24.0 kJ mol-1
1st ionization energy: 711.1 kJ mol-1
3rd ionization energy: 2746.9 kJ mol-1
Heat of atomization: 652 kJ mol-1
Heat of vaporization: 595.0 kJ mol-1
2nd ionization energy: 1617.1 kJ mol-1
Electron affinity: 101 kJ mol-1
Heat of vaporization: 595.0 kJ mol-1
2nd ionization energy: 1617.1 kJ mol-1
Electron affinity: 101 kJ mol-1
Oxidation & Electrons
Shells: 2,8,18,15,1
Minimum oxidation number: -2
Min. common oxidation no.: 0
Electronegativity (Pauling Scale): 2.2
Minimum oxidation number: -2
Min. common oxidation no.: 0
Electronegativity (Pauling Scale): 2.2
Electron configuration: [Kr] 4d7 5s1
Maximum oxidation number: 8
Max. common oxidation no.: 4
Polarizability volume: 9.6 Å3
Maximum oxidation number: 8
Max. common oxidation no.: 4
Polarizability volume: 9.6 Å3
Reactions & Compounds
Reaction with air: w/ht, ⇒ RuO4
Reaction with 15 M HNO3: w/ht, ⇒ RuO4
Oxide(s): RuO2, RuO4
Hydride(s): none
Reaction with 15 M HNO3: w/ht, ⇒ RuO4
Oxide(s): RuO2, RuO4
Hydride(s): none
Reaction with 6 M HCl: none
Reaction with 6 M NaOH: none
Chloride(s): RuCl2, RuCl3
Reaction with 6 M NaOH: none
Chloride(s): RuCl2, RuCl3
Radius
Atomic radius: 134 pm
Ionic radius (2+ ion): pm
Ionic radius (2- ion): pm
Ionic radius (2+ ion): pm
Ionic radius (2- ion): pm
Ionic radius (1+ ion): pm
Ionic radius (3+ ion): 82 pm
Ionic radius (1- ion): pm
Ionic radius (3+ ion): 82 pm
Ionic radius (1- ion): pm
Conductivity
Thermal conductivity: 117 W m-1 K-1
Electrical conductivity: 14.9 x 106 S m-1
References
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