Ruthenium Dicarbonyl, Ru(CO)₂

Ruthenium, like iron, yields a carbonyl derivative. It is obtained as an orange-yellow deposit upon subjecting ruthenium black to the action of carbon monoxide at 300° C. under a pressure of 400 atmospheres. The Ruthenium Dicarbonyl, Ru(CO)₂, is extracted from the residue by solution in alcohol. It is insoluble in benzene and in hydrochloric acid, but soluble in nitric acid and in bromine, gas being evolved. When heated, a mirror of metallic ruthenium is produced. In contradistinction to the other carbonyls of this group of metals ruthenium dicarbonyl is not volatile.