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.
It belongs to group 8 of the periodic table having trivial name .
Ruthenium Facts
Read key information and facts about element Ruthenium
Name | Ruthenium |
Atomic Number | 44 |
Atomic Symbol | Ru |
Atomic Weight | 101.07 |
Phase | Solid |
Color | Silver |
Appearance | silvery white metallic |
Classification | Transition Metal |
Group in Periodic Table | 8 |
Group Name | iron family |
Period in Periodic Table | period 5 |
Block in Periodic Table | d -block |
Electronic Configuration | [Kr] 4d7 5s1 |
Electronic Shell Structure (Electrons per shell) | 2, 8, 18, 15, 1 |
Melting Point | 2607 K |
Boiling Point | 4423 K |
CAS Number | CAS7440-18-8 |
How to Locate Ruthenium on Periodic Table
Periodic table is arranged by atomic number, number of protons in the nucleus which is same as number of electrons. The atomic number increases from left to right. Periodic table starts at top left ( Atomic number 1) and ends at bottom right (atomic number 118). Therefore you can directly look for atomic number 44 to find Ruthenium on periodic table.
Another way to read periodic table and locate an element is by using group number (column) and period number (row). To locate Ruthenium on periodic table look for cross section of group 8 and period 5 in the modern periodic table.
Ruthenium History
The element Ruthenium was discovered by K. Claus in year 1844 in Russia. Ruthenium was first isolated by K. Claus in 1844. Ruthenium derived its name from Ruthenia, the New Latin name for Russia.
Gottfried Wilhelm Osann thought that he found three new metals in Russian platinum samples, and in 1844 Karl Karlovich Klaus confirmed that there was a new element.
Ruthenium Presence: Abundance in Nature and Around Us
The table below shows the abundance of Ruthenium in Universe, Sun, Meteorites, Earth's Crust, Oceans and Human Body.
ppb by weight (1ppb =10^-7 %) | ppb by atoms (1ppb =10^-7 %) | |
---|---|---|
Abundance in Universe | 4 | 0.05 |
Abundance in Sun | 5 | 0.06 |
Abundance in Meteorites | 830 | 160 |
Abundance in Earth's Crust | 1.0 | 0.2 |
Abundance in Oceans | 0.0007 | 0.000043 |
Abundance in Humans | - | - |
Crystal Structure of Ruthenium
The solid state structure of Ruthenium is Simple Hexagonal.
The Crystal structure can be described in terms of its unit Cell. The unit Cells repeats itself in three dimensional space to form the structure.
Unit Cell Parameters
The unit cell is represented in terms of its lattice parameters, which are the lengths of the cell edges Lattice Constants (a, b and c)
a | b | c |
---|---|---|
270.59 pm | 270.59 pm | 428.15 pm |
and the angles between them Lattice Angles (alpha, beta and gamma).
alpha | beta | gamma |
---|---|---|
π/2 | π/2 | 2 π/3 |
The positions of the atoms inside the unit cell are described by the set of atomic positions ( xi, yi, zi) measured from a reference lattice point.
The symmetry properties of the crystal are described by the concept of space groups. All possible symmetric arrangements of particles in three-dimensional space are described by the 230 space groups (219 distinct types, or 230 if chiral copies are considered distinct.
Space Group Name | P63/mmc |
Space Group Number | 194 |
Crystal Structure | Simple Hexagonal |
Number of atoms per unit cell |

The number of atoms per unit cell in a simple cubic, face-centered cubic and body-centred cubic are 1,4,2 respectively.
Ruthenium Atomic and Orbital Properties
Ruthenium atoms have 44 electrons and the electronic shell structure is [2, 8, 18, 15, 1] with Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) 5F5.
Atomic Number | 44 |
Number of Electrons (with no charge) | 44 |
Number of Protons | 44 |
Mass Number | 101 |
Number of Neutrons | 57 |
Shell structure (Electrons per energy level) | 2, 8, 18, 15, 1 |
Electron Configuration | [Kr] 4d7 5s1 |
Valence Electrons | 4d7 5s1 |
Valence (Valency) | 6 |
Main Oxidation States | 3, 4 |
Oxidation States | -4, -2, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) | 5F5 |
Bohr Atomic Model of Ruthenium - Electrons per energy level

n | s | p | d | f |
---|
Ground State Electronic Configuration of Ruthenium - neutral Ruthenium atom
Abbreviated electronic configuration of Ruthenium
The ground state abbreviated electronic configuration of Neutral Ruthenium atom is [Kr] 4d7 5s1. The portion of Ruthenium configuration that is equivalent to the noble gas of the preceding period, is abbreviated as [Kr]. For atoms with many electrons, this notation can become lengthy and so an abbreviated notation is used. This is important as it is the Valence electrons 4d7 5s1, electrons in the outermost shell that determine the chemical properties of the element.
Unabbreviated electronic configuration of neutral Ruthenium
Complete ground state electronic configuration for the Ruthenium atom, Unabbreviated electronic configuration
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d7 5s1
Electrons are filled in atomic orbitals as per the order determined by the Aufbau principle, Pauli Exclusion Principle and Hund’s Rule.

Atomic Structure of Ruthenium
Ruthenium atomic radius is 178 pm, while it's covalent radius is 126 pm.
Atomic Radius Calculated | 178 pm (1.78 Å) |
Atomic Radius Empirical | 130 pm (1.3 Å) |
Atomic Volume | 8.1706 cm3/mol |
Covalent Radius | 126 pm (1.26 Å) |
Van der Waals Radius | - |
Neutron Cross Section | 2.6 |
Neutron Mass Absorption | 0.0009 |
Atomic Spectrum of Ruthenium
Ruthenium Chemical Properties: Ruthenium Ionization Energies and electron affinity
The electron affinity of Ruthenium is 101.3 kJ/mol.
Valence | 6 |
Electronegativity | 2.2 |
ElectronAffinity | 101.3 kJ/mol |
Ionization Energy of Ruthenium
Refer to table below for Ionization energies of Ruthenium
Ionization energy number | Enthalpy - kJ/mol |
---|---|
1st | 710.2 |
2nd | 1620 |
3rd | 2747 |
Ruthenium Physical Properties
Refer to below table for Ruthenium Physical Properties
Density | 12.37 g/cm3(when liquid at m.p density is $10.65 g/cm3) |
Molar Volume | 8.1706 cm3/mol |
Elastic Properties
Young Modulus | 447 |
Shear Modulus | 173 GPa |
Bulk Modulus | 220 GPa |
Poisson Ratio | 0.3 |
Hardness of Ruthenium - Tests to Measure of Hardness of Element
Mohs Hardness | 6.5 MPa |
Vickers Hardness | - |
Brinell Hardness | 2160 MPa |
Ruthenium Electrical Properties
Ruthenium is Conductor of electricity. Refer to table below for the Electrical properties ofRuthenium
Electrical Conductivity | 14000000 S/m |
Resistivity | 7.1e-8 m Ω |
Superconducting Point | 0.49 |
Ruthenium Heat and Conduction Properties
Thermal Conductivity | 120 W/(m K) |
Thermal Expansion | 0.0000064 /K |
Ruthenium Magnetic Properties
Magnetic Type | Paramagnetic |
Curie Point | - |
Mass Magnetic Susceptibility | 5.42e-9 m3/kg |
Molar Magnetic Susceptibility | 5.48e-10 m3/mol |
Volume Magnetic Susceptibility | 0.000067 |
Optical Properties of Ruthenium
Refractive Index | - |
Acoustic Properties of Ruthenium
Speed of Sound | 5970 m/s |
Ruthenium Thermal Properties - Enthalpies and thermodynamics
Refer to table below for Thermal properties of Ruthenium
Melting Point | 2607 K (2333.85°C, 4232.929999999999 °F) |
Boiling Point | 4423 K (4149.85°C, 7501.7300000000005 °F) |
Critical Temperature | - |
Superconducting Point | 0.49 |
Enthalpies of Ruthenium
Heat of Fusion | 25.7 kJ/mol |
Heat of Vaporization | 580 kJ/mol |
Heat of Combustion | - |
Ruthenium Isotopes - Nuclear Properties of Ruthenium
Ruthenium has 34 isotopes, with between 87 and 120 nucleons. Ruthenium has 7 stable naturally occuring isotopes.
Isotopes of Ruthenium - Naturally occurring stable Isotopes: 100Ru, 101Ru, 102Ru, 104Ru, 96Ru, 98Ru, 99Ru.
Isotope | Z | N | Isotope Mass | % Abundance | T half | Decay Mode |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
87Ru | 44 | 43 | 87 | Synthetic | ||
88Ru | 44 | 44 | 88 | Synthetic | ||
89Ru | 44 | 45 | 89 | Synthetic | ||
90Ru | 44 | 46 | 90 | Synthetic | ||
91Ru | 44 | 47 | 91 | Synthetic | ||
92Ru | 44 | 48 | 92 | Synthetic | ||
93Ru | 44 | 49 | 93 | Synthetic | ||
94Ru | 44 | 50 | 94 | Synthetic | ||
95Ru | 44 | 51 | 95 | Synthetic | ||
96Ru | 44 | 52 | 96 | 5.54% | Stable | N/A |
97Ru | 44 | 53 | 97 | Synthetic | ||
98Ru | 44 | 54 | 98 | 1.87% | Stable | N/A |
99Ru | 44 | 55 | 99 | 12.76% | Stable | N/A |
100Ru | 44 | 56 | 100 | 12.6% | Stable | N/A |
101Ru | 44 | 57 | 101 | 17.06% | Stable | |
102Ru | 44 | 58 | 102 | 31.55% | Stable | N/A |
103Ru | 44 | 59 | 103 | Synthetic | ||
104Ru | 44 | 60 | 104 | 18.62% | Stable | N/A |
105Ru | 44 | 61 | 105 | Synthetic | ||
106Ru | 44 | 62 | 106 | Synthetic | ||
107Ru | 44 | 63 | 107 | Synthetic | ||
108Ru | 44 | 64 | 108 | Synthetic | ||
109Ru | 44 | 65 | 109 | Synthetic | ||
110Ru | 44 | 66 | 110 | Synthetic | ||
111Ru | 44 | 67 | 111 | Synthetic | ||
112Ru | 44 | 68 | 112 | Synthetic | ||
113Ru | 44 | 69 | 113 | Synthetic | ||
114Ru | 44 | 70 | 114 | Synthetic | ||
115Ru | 44 | 71 | 115 | Synthetic | ||
116Ru | 44 | 72 | 116 | Synthetic | ||
117Ru | 44 | 73 | 117 | Synthetic | ||
118Ru | 44 | 74 | 118 | Synthetic | ||
119Ru | 44 | 75 | 119 | Synthetic | ||
120Ru | 44 | 76 | 120 | Synthetic |
Regulatory and Health - Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines
Database Search
List of unique identifiers to search the element in various chemical registry databases
Database | Identifier number |
---|---|
CAS Number - Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) | CAS7440-18-8 |
RTECS Number | - |
CID Number | CID23950 |
Gmelin Number | - |
NSC Number | - |
Compare Ruthenium with other elements
Compare Ruthenium with all Group 8 elements
Compare Ruthenium with all Period 5 elements
Compare Ruthenium with all Transition Metal elements
FAQs
What is the electronic configuration of Ruthenium?
The electronic configuration of Ruthenium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d7 5s1.
What is the abbreviated electronic configuration of Ruthenium?
The abbreviated electronic configuration of Ruthenium is [Kr] 4d7 5s1. To form abbreviated notation of electronic configuration, the completely filled subshells are replaced by the noble gas of the preceding period in square brackets.
What is the symbol of Ruthenium?
Symbol of Ruthenium is Ru. Ruthenium is a chemical element with symbol Ru and atomic number 44.
What is the position of Ruthenium in the Periodic Table?
Ruthenium is a chemical element with the symbol Ru and atomic number 44. Ruthenium is the 44 element on the periodic table. It is located in group 8 and period 5 in the modern periodic table.
What is the atomic number of Ruthenium?
The atomic number of Ruthenium is 44.
What is the color of Ruthenium?
Ruthenium is of Silver color.
Who discovered Ruthenium?
The element Ruthenium was discovered by K. Claus in year 1844 in Russia. Ruthenium was first isolated by K. Claus in 1844.
How many valence electrons does a Ruthenium atom have?
Ruthenium has 6 valence electrons. Ruthenium has 44 electrons out of which 6 valence electrons are present in the 4d7 5s1 outer orbitals of atom.
What is the melting Point of Ruthenium?
Melting Point of Ruthenium is 2607 K.
What is the boiling Point of Ruthenium?
Boiling Point of Ruthenium is 4423 K.
What is the melting Point of Ruthenium in Kelvin?
Melting Point of Ruthenium in Kelvin is 2607 K.
What is the boiling Point of Ruthenium in Kelvin?
Boiling Point of Ruthenium in Kelvin is 4423 K.
What is the electronic configuration of Ruthenium 44?
The electronic configuration of Ruthenium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d7 5s1.
How do you write the electron configuration for Ruthenium?
The electronic configuration of Ruthenium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d7 5s1.