as a direct fission product and as a product of neutron absorption by long-lived fission product . After allowing the unstable isotopes of ruthenium to decay, chemical extraction could yield ruthenium for use or sale in all applications ruthenium is otherwise used for. Ruthenium can also be produced by deliberate nuclear transmutation from . Given the relatively long half life, high fission product yield and high chemical mobility in the environment, is among the most often proposed non-actinides for commercial scale nuclear transmutation. has a relatively big neutron cross section and given that Technetium has no stable isotopes, a sample would not run into the problem of neutron activation of stable isotopes. Significant amounts of are produced both by nuclear fission and nuclear medicine which makes ample use of which decays to . Exposing the target to strong enough neutron radiation will eventually yield appreciable quantities of Ruthenium which can be chemically separated and sold while consuming . Chemical compounds The oxidation states of ruthenium range from 0 to +8, and −2. The properties of ruthenium and osmium compounds are often similar. The +2, +3, and +4 states are the most common. The most prevalent precursor is ruthenium trichloride, a red solid that is poorly defined chemically but versatile synthetically. Oxides and chalcogenides Ruthenium can be oxidized to ruthenium(IV) oxide (RuO2, oxidation state +4), which can, in turn, be oxidized by sodium metaperiodate to the volatile yellow tetrahedral ruthenium tetroxide, RuO4, an aggressive, strong oxidizing agent with structure and properties analogous to osmium tetroxide. RuO4 is mostly used as an intermediate in the purification of ruthenium from ores and radiowastes. Dipotassium ruthenate (K2RuO4, +6) and potassium perruthenate (KRuO4, +7) are also known. Unlike osmium tetroxide, ruthenium tetroxide is less stable, is strong enough as an oxidising agent to oxidise dilute hydrochloric acid and organic solvents like ethanol at room temperature, and is easily reduced to ruthenate () in aqueous alkaline solutions; it decomposes to form the dioxide above 100 °C. Unlike iron but like osmium, ruthenium does not form oxides in its lower +2 and +3 oxidation states. Ruthenium forms dichalcogenides, which are diamagnetic semiconductors crystallizing in the pyrite structure. Ruthenium sulfide (RuS2) occurs naturally as the mineral laurite. Like iron, ruthenium does not readily form oxoanions and prefers to achieve high coordination numbers with hydroxide ions instead. Ruthenium tetroxide is reduced by cold dilute potassium hydroxide to form black