Below is a comparison of the chemical nobility of the precious metals (again, excluding rhenium), with details of their specific electronic configurations, simplified reactions (as per the pH diagram), and electrode potentials. The list is presented in order of increasing atomic number. 1. Ruthenium - VIIIb/5; Ru -> Ru2+ + 2 e-; 0.455 V 2. Its main characteristics are that of being hard and brittle and of being silvery-white in appearance. It ranks next to osmium in being the densest element. As to its main property, this is best expressed in its being considered the most corrosive resistant of all the precious metals. In fact, this is shown even in temperatures of as high as 2000 C (3632 F or 2273.15 K). Two gold nuggets are noted for being the largest masses of gold ever discovered. These are the "Welcome Stranger" and the "Hand of Faith". Their respective "largest" titles, however, carry further qualifications. The Welcome Stranger Gold Nugget: The exact distinction given of this gold nugget is: "the largest alluvial gold nugget ever found". As for the precious metals gold and silver, both are known to be already in use since ancient times (gold was in use probably as early as before 6000 BC, while silver probably as early as before 5000 BC). The name "gold" was derived from the same Anglo-Saxon word, which translates to "bright yellow". Ruthenium: Three conditions may be associated with exposure to ruthenium: it can stain the skin; it may accumulate in bones; and it may increase the risk of cancer. Ruthenium tetroxide, a yellow, diamagnetic tetrahedral ruthenium compound, is highly toxic and volatile; it may explode if it comes into contact with combustible materials. They may be stored in safe deposit boxes in banks or placed in non-fungible (allocated) or pooled (unallocated) storage with a silver dealer. Opening a silver account: An investor may open a silver account with one of the major banks in Switzerland. Here, silver can be bought or sold over the counter just like any foreign currency.