What is Ruthenium?
Ruthenium is a metallic chemical element which is fairly rare in the Earth’s crust. It has a number of applications, most of which takes advantage of its corrosion-resistance and hardness, in products such as metal alloys. Consumers do not generally interact with ruthenium directly, although some luxury goods like platinum rings and fancy fountain pens include small amounts of this element. It is moderately costly in pure form, and most of the world’s ruthenium is produced in mines in Russia and South America. In appearance, ruthenium is a dull silver-gray element which tends to be very brittle and extremely hard. It has four allotropic forms, which means that it has four different crystalline structures in its pure form, depending on various conditions like exposure to heat, pressure, and air. When exposed to air and high temperatures, pure ruthenium will oxidize rapidly. The metal is also highly resistant to acids, and it forms a number of compounds with other materials. On the perio