Ruthenium

General properties
Name, symbol, number	ruthenium, Ru, 44
Element category	transition metal
Group, period, block	8, 5, d
Standard atomic weight	101.07
Electron configuration	[Kr] 4d7 5s1 2, 8, 18, 15, 1
History
Discovery	Jędrzej Śniadecki (1807)
First isolation	Jędrzej Śniadecki (1807)
Recognized as a distinct element by	Karl Ernst Claus (1844)

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 chemicals. The Baltic German scientist Karl Ernst Claus discovered the element in 1844 and named it after Ruthenia, the Latin word for Rus' (ancient Russia). Ruthenium usually occurs as a minor component of platinum ores and its annual production is only about 20 tonnes. Most ruthenium 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.

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