Tne mobility of micron-size powders of refractory and noble metals in uo 2 1vas investigated under isothermal and temperature gTadient conditions, The metal particles were initially placed between two polished surfaces of uo 2 and any movement which occurred during high temperature annealing was determined microscopically, Tungsten and molybdenum particles 1 to 10 pm in diameter were immobile in uo 2 at 2500°C in a temperature gradient of 1400°C/cm. Ruthenium, however, dissolved into and spread through hypostoichiometric, polycrystalline urania and was found after isothermal annealing as the U-Ru intennetallic compotmd in the grain boundaries of t11e oxi(lc, 111e mechanism does not involve bodily motion of the metal particles. Rather, ruthenium dissolves 1n the grain bmmdaries of the oxide, migrates as atoms via the same pathway, and reacts while migrating to fonn URu 3 , This pToduct g r·m-vs as layers in th; grain boundaries, Isothennal n1thenium spreading follmJcd silnple diffu:;ion theory, and appaTent solubilities and effective di±fusivitics were obtained from the data for the temperature nmge 2000 to 2300°C. In a temperature gradient, ruthenium moves to the hot zones of 00 2 ; the mcchonism appears to be the same as found for isothermal spreading, but th; extent of movement up the temperature gradient cannot be c:x:plained by simple diffusion theory, even with an appreciable Soret effect.