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Why was ruthenium named after Russia?
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platinum group
Rhodium foil and wire.
Ruthenium was named after Ruthenia, the Latinized name for Russia.12
The element was identified in 1844 by the Russian chemist Karl Karlovich Klaus, who discovered it while investigating waste residues from a platinum refinery in St. Petersburg. Klaus chose to retain the name ruthenium, which had been previously suggested in 1828 by his countryman Gottfried Wilhelm Osann for a platinum-group element whose discovery had remained inconclusive at that time. By establishing the existence of the metal, Klaus solidified the name as a tribute to his home country.342