Ruthenium
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Ruthenium
Formula:
(Ru,Ir)
Colour:
Silver-white
Lustre:
Metallic
Hardness:
6½
Specific Gravity:
12.438 (Calculated)
Crystal System:
Hexagonal
Name:
The species is defined by Harris and Cabri (1973) and described in by Urashima et al. (1974), taking the name of the element. The element, in turn, was discovered in 1844 and named after Ruthenia (Russia).
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
3483
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3483:4
GUID
(UUID V4):
(UUID V4):
f72558d9-70fd-410a-ad75-5eb4dcb0d6db
IMA Classification of Ruthenium
Approved
IMA Formula:
Ru
First published:
1974
Classification of Ruthenium
1.AF.05
1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
A : Metals and Intermetallic Alloys
F : Platinum group elements
1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
A : Metals and Intermetallic Alloys
F : Platinum group elements
Dana 7th ed.:
1.2.2.2
1.2.2.2
1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
2 : Platinum Group Metals and Alloys
1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
2 : Platinum Group Metals and Alloys
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ru | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Ruthenium
Metallic
Transparency:
Opaque
Colour:
Silver-white
Hardness:
6½ on Mohs scale
Hardness:
VHN100=841 - 907 kg/mm2 - Vickers
Density:
12.438 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Ruthenium
Anisotropism:
weak
Reflectivity:
| Wavelength | R |
|---|---|
| 400(69.1) 420nm | 68.8% |
| 440nm | 69.5% |
| 460nm | 69.95% |
| 470nm | 70.2% |
| 480nm | 70.3% |
| 500nm | 70.6% |
| 520nm | 70.7% |
| 540nm | 70.5% |
| 546nm | 70.4% |
| 560nm | 70.1% |
| 580nm | 69.5% |
| 589nm | 69.15% |
| 600nm | 68.75% |
| 620nm | 67.9% |
| 640nm | 67.0% |
| 650nm | 66.5% |
| 660nm | 66.0% |
| 680nm | 65.25% |
Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Top of box is 100%. Peak reflectance is 70.7%.
Colour in reflected light:
White with pale creamy tint
Chemistry of Ruthenium
Mindat Formula:
(Ru,Ir)
Elements listed:
Common Impurities:
Ir,Pt,Rh,Os,Pd,Fe,Ni,Cu
Crystallography of Ruthenium
Crystal System:
Hexagonal
Class (H-M):
6/mmm (6/m 2/m 2/m) - Dihexagonal Dipyramidal
Space Group:
P63/mmc
Setting:
P63/mmc
Cell Parameters:
a = 2.7058 Å, c = 4.2819 Å
Ratio:
a:c = 1 : 1.582
Unit Cell V:
27.15 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
2
Comment:
synthetic
Crystal Structure
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0011191 | Ruthenium | Wyckoff R W G (1963) Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York Hexagonal closest packed, hcp, structure Crystal Structures 1 7-83 | 1963 | 0 | 293 | ||
| 0020237 | Ruthenium | Mochalov A G, Dmitrenko G G, Rudashevsky N S, Zhernovsky I V, Boldyreva M M (1998) Hexaferrum (Fe,Ru),(Fe,Os),(Fe,Ir) - a new mineral Zapiski Vserossijskogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva 127 41-51 | 1998 | synthetic | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 2.056 Å | (100) |
| 2.343 Å | (40) |
| 2.142 Å | (35) |
| 1.5808 Å | (25) |
| 1.3530 Å | (25) |
| 1.2189 Å | (25) |
| 1.1434 Å | (25) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Pre-terrestrial "Ur-minerals" | >4.57 |
| 1 : Stellar atmosphere condensates | |
| Stage 1: Primary nebular phases | 4.567-4.561 |
| 3 : Solar nebular condensates (CAIs, AOAs, URIs) | >4.565 |
| Near-surface Processes | |
| 26 : Hadean detrital minerals | |
| Stage 4b: Highly evolved igneous rocks | >3.0 |
| 36 : Carbonatites, kimberlites, and related igneous rocks | |
| 37 : Layered igneous intrusions and related PGE minerals | |
| Stage 5: Initiation of plate tectonics | <3.5-2.5 |
| 38 : Ophiolites |
Type Occurrence of Ruthenium
General Appearance of Type Material:
A single tabular crystal reaching 35 x 7 microns in polished section, partly included in platy rutheniridosmium, both in a native platinum grain.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
University of Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Ultrabasic rocks.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Reference:
Urashima, Y., Wakabayashi, T., Masaki, T., Terasaki, Y. (1974) Ruthenium, a new mineral from Horakanai, Hokkaido, Japan. Mineralogical Journal: 7: 438-444.
Synonyms of Ruthenium
Platinum-Group Elements (in part)
Other Language Names for Ruthenium
Afrikaans:Rutenium
Arabic:روثينيوم
Armenian:Ռոթենիում
Basque:Rutenio
Belarusian:Рутэній
Bengali:রুথেনিয়াম
Bosnian:Rutenijum
Catalan:Ruteni
Corsican:Ruteniu
Croatian:Rutenij
Czech:Ruthenium
Danish:Ruthenium
Dutch:Ruthenium
Esperanto:Rutenio
Estonian:Ruteenium
Farsi/Persian:روتنیوم
Finnish:Rutenium
French:Ruthénium
Friulian:Ruteni
Galician:Rutenio
German:Ruthenium
Greek:Ρουθήνιο
Hebrew:רותניום
Hindi:रुथेनियम
Hungarian:Ruténium
Icelandic:Rúþen
Ido:Rutenio
Indonesian:Rutenium
Italian:Rutenio
Japanese:自然ルテニウム
Javanese:Rutenium
Kannada:ರುಥೇನಿಯಮ್
Korean:루테늄
Kurdish (Latin Script):Rûtenyûm
Latin:Ruthenium
Latvian:Rutēnijs
Lithuanian:Rutenis
Lojban:Rukyjinme
Luxembourgish:Ruthenium
Malayalam:റുഥീനിയം
Manx:Rutainium
Norwegian:Ruthenium
Norwegian (Nynorsk):Ruthenium
Occitan:Rutèni
Polish:Ruten
Portuguese:Rutênio
Romanian:Ruteniu
Russian:Рутений
Serbian:Рутенијум
Serbo-Croatian:Rutenijum
Sicilian:Ruteniu
Simplified Chinese:自然钌
Slovak:Ruténium
Slovenian:Rutenij
Spanish:Rutenio
Swahili:Rutheni
Swedish:Rutenium
Tamil:ருத்தேனியம்
Tatar:Ruteni
Thai:รูทีเนียม
Turkish:Rutenyum
Ukrainian:Рутеній
Uzbek (Latin Script):Ruteniy
Vietnamese:Rutheni
Varieties of Ruthenium
| Iridrhodruthenium | A variety of ruthenium rich in rhodium and iridium. It also contains minor amounts of other platinum group elements (PGE). |
Common Associates
Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:
| 7 photos of Ruthenium associated with Osmium | (Os,Ir,Ru) |
| 3 photos of Ruthenium associated with Isoferroplatinum | Pt3Fe |
| 2 photos of Ruthenium associated with Laurite | RuS2 |
| 2 photos of Ruthenium associated with Polkanovite | Rh12As7 |
| 2 photos of Ruthenium associated with Nickel | Ni |
| 1 photo of Ruthenium associated with Palladodymite | (Pd,Rh)2As |
| 1 photo of Ruthenium associated with Hongshiite | PtCu |
| 1 photo of Ruthenium associated with Cherepanovite | RhAs |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Ruthenium
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3483.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Ruthenium
Reference List:
Harris, D. C., Cabri, L. J. (1973) The nomenclature of the natural alloys of osmium, iridium and ruthenium based on new compositional data of alloys from world-wide occurrences. The Canadian Mineralogist, 12 (2) 104-112
Fleischer, Michael, Mandarino, Joseph A. (1975) NEW MINERAL NAMES. American Mineralogist, 60 (9-10) 945-947
Fleischer, Michael, Pabst, Adolf, Mandarino, Joseph A., Chao, George Y., Cabri, Louis, J. (1976) New Mineral Names. American Mineralogist, 61 (1-2) 174-186
Harris, D. C., Cabri, L. J. (1991) Nomenclature of platinum-group-element alloys: review and revision. The Canadian Mineralogist, 29 (2) 231-237
Criddle, A. J., Stanley, C. J. (1993) Data file. In Quantitative Data File for Ore Minerals. Springer Netherlands. p.1-635. doi:10.1007/978-94-011-1486-8_1p.491
Localities for Ruthenium
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Australia | |
| G. A. Albertson Data |
| Butt et al. (2003) |
Austria | |
| Bojar H.P. (2022) |
| Malitch et al. (2002) |
| Melcher+Mali (1998) | |
Bulgaria | |
| Цинцов (1998) |
| Tsintsov (2004) |
Canada | |
| Escayola et al. (2011) |
China | |
| Peng Qiming and Xu Hong (1994) |
| Peng Qiming and Xu Hong (1994) |
| Shuihe Mao and Xuecui Zhou (1989) |
| Wenji Bai et al. (2004) |
| Hercule Shen |
Colombia | |
| Robert C. Smith |
| Min Mag (1997) |
Czech Republic | |
| Pasava et al. (2015) |
Dominican Republic | |
| Proenza et al. (2007) +2 other references |
Ethiopia | |
| Pavel.M. Kartashov (n.d.) |
France | |
| Ducluzaux B. (2022) |
| Ducluzaux (2022) |
| Lorand et al. (2018) |
| Ducluzaux B. (2022) |
| Ducluzaux (2021) |
| 5th International Platinum Symposium ... |
Germany | |
| Oberthür et al. (2016) |
Greece | |
| Economou-Eliopoulos et al. (2019) |
Indonesia | |
| |
Japan (TL) | |
| Urashima et al (1974) |
| NISHIO–HAMANE et al. (2022) |
| NISHIO–HAMANE et al. (2022) | |
| NISHIO–HAMANE et al. (2022) | |
| NISHIO–HAMANE et al. (2022) |
| NISHIO–HAMANE et al. (2022) | |
| NISHIO–HAMANE et al. (2022) |
| Dr Daisuke Nishio-Hamane |
| NISHIO–HAMANE et al. (2022) | |
| NISHIO–HAMANE et al. (2022) |
Kazakhstan | |
| Saveliev et al. (2023) |
| Saveliev et al. (2023) | |
Mexico | |
| González-Jiménez et al. (2015) |
Mongolia | |
| www.dmitrenkogg.narod.ru (n.d.) |
North Macedonia | |
| Augé et al. (2017) |
Papua New Guinea | |
| Cabri et al. (2022) |
Philippines | |
| Oberthür et al. (2017) |
Russia | |
| Pavel M. Kartashov analytical data 2018 |
| Airiyants et al. (2020) |
| Kiseleva +3 other references |
| Britvin et al. (1998) +1 other reference |
| Zaykov et al. (2017) | |
| Zaykov et al. (2017) | |
| Podlipsky et al. (2015) |
| Tolstykh et al. (2009) |
| Lavrik et al. (2020) |
| ... | |
| Malitch et al. (2022) |
| Malitch et al. (2022) | |
| Tolstyk et al. (1997) +1 other reference |
| Barkov et al. (2019) +1 other reference |
| Feklichev et al. (1998) | |
| Neradovsky et al. (2008) |
| Kiseleva et al. (2014) |
| Tatarinov et al. (2021) |
| Pavel.M. Kartashov (n.d.) |
| Sharygin et al. (2022) |
| Jedwab J. (1990) |
| |
| Johan (2006) |
| Pavel M. Kartashov analytical data | |
| Oidup et al. (2012) |
Serbia | |
| Krstic et al. (1997) |
South Africa | |
| Melcher et al. (2005) |
| Melcher et al. (2007) |
| Zaccarini et al. (2002) +1 other reference |
| Zaccarini et al. (2002) |
| Zaccarini et al. (2014) |
Spain | |
| Gervilla et al. (2002) |
Turkey | |
| Uysal et al. (2009) |
USA | |
| Howard (1987) |
| Min Mag (1997) |
| Van Nostrand Reinholt Press: 45. +2 other references |
| Tony Nikischer |
| Alfredo Petrov collection +1 other reference |
| Van Nostrand Reinholt Press: 45. +2 other references |
| Lyon et al. (1997) |
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Tumet river, Asosa Zone, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia