Direct spectrophotometric determination of Ruthenium (III) using diacetyl monoxime aminoisonicotinoyl hydrazone

Ruthenium is a rare transition element and is found associated with platinum ores. It is a hard, white metal discovered by Karl Klaus in 1844. Ruthenium dissolves in fused alkalis. It is not attacked by acids but is attacked by halogens at high temperatures. The oxidation states of ruthenium range from +1 to +8 of which +2, +3 and +4 states are most common. Ru(VI) is stable only in alkaline solutions as RuO₄^2-. Ru(IV) and Ru(III) form chloro complexes in HCl solutions. The most common geometry of Ruthenium (II), (III) and (IV) complexes is octahedral. But in some cases Ru(III) and Ru(IV) exhibit distorted tetrahedral and tetrahedral geometries respectively with coordination number 4. Small amounts of ruthenium can increase the hardness of platinum and palladium alloys to make wear-resistant electrical contacts. It is sometimes alloyed with gold in jewellery. 0.1% of ruthenium is added to titanium to improve its corrosion resistance hundred fold. Ruthenium is a versatile catalyst used in many chemical reactions. Large number of organo-metallic complexes of ruthenium are used in organic and pharmaceutical chemistry. These complexes exhibit anti-tumor activity and used as an anti-cancer medicine at the stage of clinical trials