ruthenium

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: ru=the=ni=um

CIDE DICTIONARY

ruthenium, n. [NL. So named from the Ruthenians, a Little Russian people, as coming from Russia, the metal having been found in the Ural mountains.].

 A rare element of the light platinum group, found associated with platinum ores, and isolated as a hard, brittle steel-gray metal which is very infusible. Symbol Ru. Atomic weight 103.5. Specific gravity 12.26. See Platinum metals, under Platinum.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

ruthenium, n. Chem. a rare hard white metallic transition element, occurring naturally in platinum ores, and used as a chemical catalyst and in certain alloys.

Usage

Symb.: Ru.

Etymology

med.L Ruthenia Russia (from its discovery in ores from the Urals)