Ruthenium

Ruthenium is a simple, silvery transition metal belonging to the platinum group of metals. In the periodic table, ruthenium is classified as a minor element in group 8 of the fifth period.

In 1844, Professor Karl Klaus discovered this metal. He isolated it in pure form from Ural platinum ore and noted its similarities to rhodium, iridium, palladium, osmium, and platinum. A method for extracting ruthenium from nuclear fuel waste is currently being developed. For every ton of plutonium, thorium, and uranium, there is 250 grams of ruthenium.

Properties of ruthenium

Ruthenium has proven itself as a metal due to its excellent physical and chemical properties. Its physical properties include a density of 12.41 g/cm³ and a relatively high melting point of 23,340°C. However, it is inferior to rhenium, molybdenum, osmium, tungsten, iridium, niobium, and tantalum, and has an even higher boiling point of 40,770°C. These properties indicate that ruthenium is a very hard metal.

Chemically, ruthenium is an inert metal, meaning it reacts with difficulty or not at all. Due to its high density, it is very resistant to acids and insoluble in aqua regia. However, ruthenium reacts with chlorine at 4000°C and with a mixture of alkali and nitrate during fusion. Ruthenium forms a number of organometallic compounds, acting as an active catalyst.

Ruthenium metal

Ruthenium is a metal of great importance in various industries, as its physical and chemical properties allow it to interact with other metals. Adding just 0.11 TP3T of ruthenium increases the corrosion resistance of titanium. It is an excellent conductor of electricity, so when combined with platinum, it is used to make electrical contacts, but only under very specific circumstances.

Ruthenium metal serves as an excellent accelerator or catalyst for many chemical reactions. Therefore, it is successfully used in water purification systems on orbital stations. Red ruthenium is a counteracting substance for ion channel research. Another unique feature is ruthenium's ability to bind atmospheric nitrogen at 200°C.

Ruthenium metal is very popular in the space industry, as its alloys are used as heat-resistant structural materials, and its strength surpasses the best alloys of tungsten and molybdenum.

In the jewelry industry, ruthenium metal serves as an alloying additive, imparting high strength characteristics to precious metal alloys. It imparts hardness, strength, wear resistance, and durability. It is impossible to manufacture jewelry from it due to its brittleness. As a master alloy, it is comparable to platinum and superior to gold. A thin ruthenium coating applied to the metal surface using electroplating provides increased durability and strength. A ruthenium-plated ring is durable, resistant to scratches, deformation, and exposure to aggressive chemicals. Thus, ruthenium metal plays a vital role in various industries due to its high-tech properties.