Ruthenium is a rare transition metal produced mostly as a by-product of nickel mining.
It is not widely used industrially, although it is found in some catalysts and alloys. It is more useful in the chemistry laboratory, where it has helped several chemists win Nobel Prizes.
Ruthenium is toxic and if you have the bad fortune to be exposed to it, it smells of ozone says Professor Allan Blackman from the Auckland University of Technology, in episode 71 of Elemental.
Photo: RNZ
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Professor Allan Blackman is at Auckland University of Technology.
