Adapted from an image (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.
1796–1864
Karl Ernst Claus
Discovered ruthenium in 1844.
Element
44RuRuthenium
1844
Platinum ore from the Ural Mountains was thought to hold new metals, but early claims fell apart. In 1844 Karl Ernst Claus, at Kazan University, isolated one and proved it was real, keeping the name ruthenium, after Ruthenia, the Latin name for Russia.
Keep exploring
Where the dates and stories on this page come from; each event on the timeline links to its own source.
- Karl Ernst ClausEncyclopaedia Britannica
- RutheniumRoyal Society of Chemistry
- Karl Ernst ClausWikipedia