Ru
Ruthenium · Ru
Ruthenium is a stable, metallic transition element from the platinum group that serves as a highly effective catalyst in industrial chemical synthesis.
About Ruthenium
Ruthenium is a rare transition metal belonging to the platinum-group elements, characterized by its robust metallic nature and high thermodynamic stability. As a fundamental building block in materials science, it is recognized for its structural versatility, appearing in numerous distinct crystalline arrangements across various databases. Its inherent electronic properties make it a cornerstone for advanced catalytic applications, where it facilitates complex chemical transformations with high efficiency. Beyond its role in catalysis, the element is prized for its ability to enhance the hardness and corrosion resistance of alloys, serving as a critical component in demanding technological environments. Its stability ensures reliable performance in harsh conditions, solidifying its status as a vital material in modern industrial processes.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Ruthenium, aggregated across 6 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Ru. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for Ru, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -25.425 | 12.38 |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.000 | — |
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.000 | — |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.111 | — |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.111 | — |
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.000 | — |
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.000 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0076 | 0.008 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0389 | 0.039 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0800 | 0.080 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.1108 | 0.111 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.1130 | 0.113 | — |
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting Ru.
Applications
Where Ruthenium is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Ruthenium, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Ru?
Ruthenium is a stable, metallic transition element from the platinum group that serves as a highly effective catalyst in industrial chemical synthesis.
What is Ru used for?
What is the band gap of Ru?
Is Ru a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Ru thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of Ru?
What is the density of Ru?
How many polymorphs of Ru are known?
How is Ru synthesized?
What elements does Ru contain?
Where does the data for Ru come from?
How It Compares
Within the platinum-group alloy catalysts class.
Within the diverse family of platinum-group alloy catalysts, ruthenium stands out as a pure elemental benchmark compared to complex intermetallic siblings like Ga2Ru or GeRu. While compounds such as P3Ru or LaRh are engineered for specific electronic tuning, elemental ruthenium provides a baseline of high chemical resistance and catalytic activity that defines the performance expectations for the entire class.
Related Compounds
Other Platinum-Group Alloy Catalysts in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
- oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
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