Ruthenium - Periodic Table of Videos

Ruthenium is a chemical element with symbol Ru and atomic number 44. It is a rare transition metal belonging to the platinum group of the periodic table. Like the other metals of the platinum group, ruthenium is inert to most other chemicals. The Baltic German scientist Karl Ernst Claus discovered the element in 1844, and named it after his homeland, the Russian Empire (one of Russia's Latin names is Ruthenia). Ruthenium usually occurs as a minor component of platinum ores; annual production is about 20 tonnes.^[4] Most ruthenium produced is used for wear-resistant electrical contacts and the production of thick-film resistors. A minor application of ruthenium is its use in some platinum alloys, and as a catalyst.
Naturally occurring ruthenium is composed of seven stable isotopes. Additionally, 34 radioactive isotopes have been discovered. Of these radioisotopes, the most stable are ¹⁰⁶Ru with a half-life of 373.59 days, ¹⁰³Ru with a half-life of 39.26 days and ⁹⁷Ru with a half-life of 2.9 days.^[6][7]
Fifteen other radioisotopes have been characterized with atomic weights ranging from 89.93 u (⁹⁰Ru) to 114.928 u (¹¹⁵Ru). Most of these have half-lives that are less than five minutes except ⁹⁵Ru (half-life: 1.643 hours) and ¹⁰⁵Ru (half-life: 4.44 hours).^[6][7]
The primary decay mode before the most abundant isotope, ¹⁰²Ru, is electron capture and the primary mode after is beta emission. The primary decay product before ¹⁰²Ru is technetium and the primary decay product after is rhodium.^[6][7]