The electronic state of ruthenium in the supported Ru/EO(x) (EO(x) = MgO, Al(2)O(3) or SiO(2)) catalysts prepared by with the use of Ru(OH) Cl(3) or Ru(acac)(3) (acac = acetylacetonate) and reduced with H(2) at 723 K is characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in the Ru 3d, Cl 2p and O 1s regions. The influence of the final state effects (the differential charging and variation of the relaxation energy) on the binding energy (BE) of Ru 3d(5/2) core level measured for supported Ru nanoparticles is estimated by comparison of the Fermi levels and the modified Auger parameters determined for the Ru/EOx samples with the corresponding characteristics of the bulk Ru metal. It is found that the negative shift of the Ru 3d(5/2) peak which is observed in the spectrum of ruthenium deposited onto MgO (BE = 279.5-279.7 eV) with respect to that of Ru black (BE = 280.2 eV) or ruthenium supported on gamma-Al(2)O(3) and SiO(2) (BE = 280.4 eV) is caused not by the transfer of electron density from basic sites of MgO, as considered earlier, but by the differential charging of the supported Ru particles compared with the support surface. Correction for the differential charging value reveals that the initial state energies of ruthenium in the Ru/EOx systems are almost identical (BE = 280.5 +/- 0.1 eV) irrespectively of acid-base properties of the support, the mean size of supported Ru crystallites (within the range of 2-10 nm) and the surface Cl content. The results obtained suggest that the difference in ammonia synthesis activity between the Ru catalysts supported on MgO and on the acidic supports is accounted for by not different electronic state of ruthenium on the surface of these oxides but by some other reasons. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.