We will be taking the week off for Turkey Day, but as is our tradition, every year we provide our loyal blog readers with something to be thankful for. This year’s thing to be thankful for is Ruthenium, atomic number 44 on the periodic table.
Ruthenium may best be known for how it oxidizes explosively when combined with potassium chlorate, but there is so much more to Ruthenium that we ought to be thankful for.
For example, thanks to Ruthenium’s ability to harden platinum and palladium, it is perfect for making wear-resistant electrical components.
A funny side note about Ruthenium is that it is often used in advanced, high-temperature single-crystal superalloys. That may be why Ruthenium is often referred to by physicists as the “class clown” of elements.
This Thanksgiving, just think of how different the world would be without Ruthenium. And count your blessings that, apparently, there is a whole shit-ton of Ruthenium out there. Thank you atomic element number 44!
Tags: ruthenium, thanksgiving