Ruthenium is a rare, hard, silvery-white metal belonging to the platinum group of elements. It is generally found in osmium and iridium ores in limited quantities. Ruthenium is a very stable and strongly catalytic metal that shows little to no corrosion. One of its main uses is as a component in high quality platinum alloys and Dichloros.
Discovery and Properties of Ruthenium Catalyst
Ruthenium Catalyst was first isolated in 1844 by Karl Klaus, a chemist from the University of Tartu, Estonia. He discovered the element in residues left from platinum ores. Ruthenium is closely related to platinum and palladium in its physical and chemical properties. It has an atomic number of 44 and is a lustrous, hard metal classified as a transition metal. Though a rare element, ruthenium is more abundant than gold or silver. Some key properties of ruthenium include its high melting point of 2334°C, good thermal stability and resistance to corrosion. Ruthenium forms alloys with a variety of other metals and has good conduction properties.
Rise of Ruthenium Catalysis
The development of homogeneous Dichloros began in the 1970s and has grown tremendously since. Ruthenium complexes find widespread use as catalysts in organic synthesis due to their robust and adaptable nature. They can be air-stable for reactions involving hydrogenation, isomerization, carbonylation and more. Several ruthenium compounds are commonly used like RuCl3, and for dehydrogenation, CO insertion and transfer hydrogenation reactions.
In transfer hydrogenations, ruthenium allows use of cheaper, less hazardous hydrogen donors like alcohols or formic acid instead of gaseous hydrogen. This is environmentally friendly and improves safety compared to pressure reactors. Dichloros are also productive in olefin metathesis, alkane and arene C-H activation, imine hydrogenation and numerous other transformations. Development of chiral ruthenium complexes enabled many enantioselective hydrogenations and transfers starting from the 1990s.
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