# Ruthenium problem



## Kats12 (Aug 10, 2011)

Hi

Recently i obtained some 5g of ruthenium red.
So I dissolved it in water and then used NaBH4 to drop Ru.
I filtered Ru washed it and start to dry it on hot plate ( on 1 power out of 4 - I mean level of heating)in beaker.
While doing that probably some larger portion of H2O was somehow trapped in the mass and suddenly it exploded somehow, not really explode you know what I mean...(pufff with black geyser)
And what bothers me is that when some of Ru landed on hot plate it ignited! and burned slightly. So my question is how to melt it? Somehow i don't think to melt it on melting dish with O2/propane-butane torch.. 
If someone done some work with ruthenium, please advise.

Thanks in advance
Kats


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## jimdoc (Aug 10, 2011)

Ruthenium can be dangerous. You shouldn't mess with it unless you know what you are doing and have a good fume hood.

Jim


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## Lou (Aug 10, 2011)

Leave it alone. Borohydride produces pyrophoric PGM blacks that are very dangerous.

Don't try melting it.


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## Kats12 (Aug 10, 2011)

Yes I know that powdered pgm can be pyrophoric, but i haven't got any trouble with pt, pd , au , ag...
maybe in inert atmosphere it can be done... with some arc furnace...


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## Lino1406 (Aug 11, 2011)

I agree with Lou. Yes, ruthenium is different and explodable.
And what on earth you think is the MP? did you check?
So first of all, dissolve it back, after you wash it with 
hot water.


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## Kats12 (Aug 12, 2011)

Melting point is 2334 celsius 
Well i decided to try t melt it and I did it!!!!
First I tried with propane torch, the powder was a little pyrophoric at first, but just a little, after that the powder calcinited together, but I wasn't able to melt it, so i switched to acetylene /O2 torch and melt it with no problem...
picture is here as proof ))
Of course i melted a very small chunk of powder...

But i got lovely chunks of coagulated powder when using NaBH4 , so i think that is why the powder didn't ignite...
well so all of you know that it can be done.
I like trying new things, only if they are a little dangerous...  not too much of course heheh


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## Lino1406 (Aug 12, 2011)

Sorry, I'm taking down my hat


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## Lou (Aug 12, 2011)

It can be torch melted. It's just very stupid to do.

It forms a volatile oxide at high temperature in the oxidizing flame. Also, your melting dish would be melting, even zirconia. 

It's folly to melt Ru, Ir, Os.


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## Kats12 (Aug 13, 2011)

well Lou, I did melt some 60 g of Rh a year ago and sold it, i manage to produce it with NaBH4 and melt it with acetylene torch with no problems, but in open enviroment with gas mask on my face and welding goggles.
The rodium was tested in laboratory and it was 999 pure so I got full price for it.(i still have certificate somwhere at home...)
It is true for the dishes so I used furnace clay( not shure if it is called chamotte in english - yellow brick) and the brick was excellent almost without any melting of the interior.
so i plan to use it with Ru, but i have a little of ruthenium cca 2g , and i don't plan to produce it on a large scale nor would I reccomend it to anyone, this was just a test if it can be done. It is true that these metals are not so interesting as other PGM, neither on commercial side or other... and they are too dangerous to be messed with.

Right now I'll be doing some palladium , and wait a little for rising price 

cheers all

Kats


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## Lou (Aug 13, 2011)

I dislike it when people melt already very very difficult to dissolve metals.


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## HAuCl4 (Aug 21, 2011)

Kats12 said:


> Hi
> 
> Recently i obtained some 5g of ruthenium red.
> So I dissolved it in water and then used NaBH4 to drop Ru.
> ...


Did you separate it from a Platinum alloy or how did you obtained it in the first place?. :?:


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## Kats12 (Aug 21, 2011)

It was analytical indicator standard packaging 5 g...
I think Fluka was manufacturer
Kats


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## HAuCl4 (Aug 22, 2011)

Thanks Kats. 8)


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