
Ruthenium element (Ru) is in group 8 and period 5 of a periodic table. Ruthenium is in the d-block and it is classified as a transition element on the periodic table.
There is a lot more information related to ruthenium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.
So let’s dive right into it!
Table of contents
- Ruthenium element (Information Table)
- Ruthenium element in Periodic table
- Facts about Ruthenium
- Properties of Ruthenium
- Uses of Ruthenium
Ruthenium Element (Information Table)
The important data related to ruthenium element is given in the table below.
Appearance of ruthenium | Silvery gray metallic appearance |
Atomic number of ruthenium | 44 |
Symbol of ruthenium | Ru |
Atomic mass of ruthenium | 101.07 u |
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in ruthenium | Protons: 44, Neutrons: 57, Electrons: 44 |
State of ruthenium (at STP) | Solid |
Group number of ruthenium in periodic table | 8 |
Period number of ruthenium in periodic table | 5 |
Block of ruthenium in periodic table | d-block |
Category of ruthenium | Transition metal |
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in ruthenium | 2, 8, 18, 15, 1 |
Electron configuration of ruthenium | [Kr] 4d7 5s1 |
Orbital diagram of ruthenium | ![]() |
Electronegativity of ruthenium (on pauling scale) | 2.2 |
Atomic radius of ruthenium (van der Waals radius) | 207 picometers |
Density of ruthenium | 12.37 g/cm3 |
1st ionization energy of ruthenium | 7.361 eV |
Main isotope of ruthenium | 102Ru |
Melting point of ruthenium | 2607 K or 2334 °C or 4233 °F |
Boiling point of ruthenium | 4423 K or 4150 °C or 7502 °F |
Crystal structure of ruthenium | Hexagonal Close Packing (HCP) |
Discovery of ruthenium | By Karl Ernst Claus in 1844 |
Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).
Ruthenium element in Periodic table
The Ruthenium element (Ru) has the atomic number 44 and is located in group 8 and period 5. Ruthenium is a metal and it is classified as a transition element.
H | He | ||||||||||||||||
Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||
Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||
K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr |
Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe |
Cs | Ba | La* | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn |
Fr | Ra | Ac** | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Nh | Fl | Mc | Lv | Ts | Og |
*Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | ||||
**Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr |
Facts about ruthenium
Here are a few interesting facts about ruthenium element.
- The name “Ruthenium” came from the word “Ruthenia” which is a Latin word for Russia.
- Ruthenium was discovered by Karl Ernst Claus in 1844.
- The concentration of ruthenium in the earth’s crust is around 1 part per billion by weight (which is very less). And its concentration in the solar system is believed to be 5 parts per billion by weight.
- Ruthenium is mainly obtained from the mineral deposits from the Ural mountain in North and South America. It is also found from the pyroxenite deposits of South Africa (source).
- Ruthenium can also be extracted from the radioactive waste.
Properties of ruthenium
Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of ruthenium.
Physical properties of ruthenium
- Ruthenium is a metal with a silvery gray metallic appearance.
- Ruthenium has an atomic mass 101.07 u and its density is 12.37 g/cm3.
- The melting point and boiling point of ruthenium is 2607 K and 4423 K respectively.
- Ruthenium has HCP crystal structure.
- Ruthenium has many isotopes, and out of these isotopes, the most abundant isotope is 102Ru. It has an abundance of around 31.5%.
Chemical properties of ruthenium
- The electronic configuration of ruthenium is [Kr] 4d7 5s1 and it is a transition metal as it has incomplete d-orbitals.
- The corrosion resistance property of titanium can be improved by adding only 0.1% ruthenium to it.
- As it is a transition metal, it has many oxidation states like +2, +3 as well as +4.
- Ruthenium metal does not tarnish if kept open in the air at room temperature.
- Ruthenium metal shows a chemical reaction with halogens and hydroxides.
Uses of ruthenium
Here are some uses of the ruthenium element.
- Ruthenium is used as an alloy with other elements to improve properties like corrosion resistance.
- Ruthenium-molybdenum alloy behaved like a superconductor at a very low temperature of 10.6 K.
- In order to increase the hardness of metals like platinum and palladium, ruthenium is added to them.
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