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ruthenium

Primary Information
Secondary Information

Definition

Ruthenium is a silvery-white metal that is found in very small amounts in nature. It is a member of the platinum group metals and is similar to metals like palladium and rhodium. Ruthenium is used in a variety of applications, including:

  • Jewellery: Ruthenium is used to plate jewellery, as it is a very durable and corrosion-resistant metal.
  • Catalysts: Ruthenium is used in catalysts, which are substances that speed up chemical reactions.
  • Electronics: Ruthenium is used in electronics, such as transistors and capacitors.
  • Medicine: Ruthenium is used in medicine, such as in cancer therapy.

How can the word be used?

Ruthenium is used in a variety of applications, such as catalysts and jewellery.

ruthenium

Different forms of the word

Noun:

  • a chemical element with the symbol Ru and atomic number 44. It is a rare transition metal belonging to the platinum group of the periodic table.

Adjective:

  • relating to or containing ruthenium.

Etymology

The word "ruthenium" comes from the Latin word "Ruthenia", which was used to refer to Russia.

The first recorded use of the word "ruthenium" was in 1844, by Russian chemist Karl Ernst Claus. He discovered ruthenium in the Ural Mountains of Russia.

The word "ruthenium" is a New Latin word, which means that it was created by scientists. It is derived from the Latin word "Ruthenia", which was used to refer to Russia. This is because ruthenium was first discovered in Russia.

Question

What is ruthenium?