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Periodic Table of Elements

Element Rutherfordium – Rf

Comprehensive data on the chemical element Rutherfordium is provided on this page; including scores of properties, element names in many languages, most known nuclides of Rutherfordium. Common chemical compounds are also provided for many elements. In addition technical terms are linked to their definitions and the menu contains links to related articles that are a great aid in one studies. Using the "Periodic Table of Elements Quick Navigation" graphic at the bottom of the sidebar menu, one can quickly jump from chemical element to chemical element.

Rutherfordium Menu

• Rutherfordium Page One
  • Overview of Rutherfordium
  • Rutherfordium's Name in Other Languages
  • Atomic Structure of Rutherfordium
  • Chemical Properties of Rutherfordium
  • Physical Properties of Rutherfordium
  • Regulatory / Health
  • Who/When/Where/How
• Rutherfordium Page Two
  • Nuclides / Isotopes
  • Potential Parent Nuclides

Overview of Rutherfordium

• Atomic Number:104
• Group: 4
• Period: 7
• Series: Transactinides

Rutherfordium's Name in Other Languages

• Latin: Rutherfordium
• Czech: Rutherfordium
• Croatian: Ruthefordij
• French: Rutherfordium
• German: Rutherfordium - s
• Italian: Rutherfordium
• Norwegian: Rutherfordium
• Portuguese:
• Russian:
• Spanish: Ruterfordio
• Swedish:

Atomic Structure of Rutherfordium

• Atomic Radius:
• Atomic Volume:
• Covalent Radius:
• Cross Section (Thermal Neutron Capture) _a/barns:
• Crystal Structure:

• Electron Configuration:

  1s² 2s²p⁶ 3s²p⁶d¹⁰ 4s²p⁶d¹⁰f¹⁴ 5s²p⁶d¹⁰f¹⁴ 6s²p⁶d² 7s²

• Electrons per Energy Level: 2,8,18,32,32,10,2

  Shell Model
  

• Ionic Radius:
• Filling Orbital:
• Number of Electrons (with no charge): 104
• Number of Neutrons (most common/stable nuclide): 157
• Number of Protons: 104
• Oxidation States:
• Valence Electrons: 6d² 7s²

Chemical Properties of Rutherfordium

• Electrochemical Equivalent:
• Electron Work Function:
• Electronegativity: N/A (Pauling); N/A (Allrod Rochow)
• Heat of Fusion: kJ/mol
• Incompatibilities:

• Ionization Potential
  • First:
• Valence Electron Potential (-eV):

Physical Properties of Rutherfordium

• Atomic Mass Average: 261
• Boiling Point: 5800K
• Coefficient of lineal thermal expansion/K^-1: N/A
• Conductivity

  Electrical:
  Thermal: 0.23 W/cmK

• Description:

  A man made radioactive element and the first transactinide element.

• Flammablity Class:
• Freezing Point: see melting point
• Heat of Vaporization: kJ/mol
• Melting Point: 2400K
• Physical State (at 20°C & 1atm):
• Specific Heat:

Regulatory / Health

• CAS Number
  • 53850-36-5
• NFPA 704
  • Health:
  • Fire:
  • Reactivity:
  • Special Hazard: Radioactive
  <
  • OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)
    • No limits set by OSHA
  • OSHA PEL Vacated 1989
    • No limits set by OSHA
  • NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL)
    • No limits set by NIOSH
  • Levels In Humans:
    Note: this data represents naturally occuring levels of elements in the typical human, it DOES NOT represent recommended daily allowances.
    • Blood/mg dm^-3: nil
    • Bone/p.p.m: nil
    • Liver/p.p.m: nil
    • Muscle/p.p.m: nil
    • Daily Dietary Intake: nil
    • Total Mass In Avg. 70kg human: nil

  Who / Where / When / How

  • Discoverer: A. Ghiorso, Nurmia, Harris, K.A.Y. Eskola, and P.L. Eskola
  • Discovery Location: Berkeley California
  • Discovery Year: 1969
  • Name Origin:

    In honor of Lord Ernest R. Rutherford, a New Zealand physicist and chemist

  • Abundance of Rutherfordium:
    • Earth's Crust/p.p.m.: nil
    • Seawater/p.p.m.: nil
    • Atmosphere/p.p.m.: nil
    • Sun (Relative to H=1E¹²): N/A
  • Sources of Rutherfordium:

    Bombarding plutonium with accelerated 113 to 115 MeV neon ions. Also by bombarding a target of Cf249 with C12 nuclei of 71 MeV, and C13 nuclei of 69 MeV. Only several thousand atoms of this element have been produced.

  • Uses of Rutherfordium:

    This element is of research interest only.

  • Additional Notes:

    Evidence of element 104 was first detected at the Joint Nuclear Research Institute at Dubna (USSR) in 1964 by bombarding plutonium with accelerated 113 to 115 MeV neon ions. By measuring fission tracks in a special glass with a microscope, the scientists detected an isotope that decays by spontaneous fission. The isotope was thought to be Rf260 with a half life of 0.15 to 0.3 seconds. It was not until 1969, however that the group in Berkley were able to chemically separate element 104 and positively identified two possibly three isotopes of the element. The detection vs. chemical isolation of this element caused a dispute as to who really discovered this element. This dispute was settled in 1992 by the IUPAC when they concluded that credit for the discovery should be shared between the Russian and American scientists. In August of 1997 the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced the official naming of this element as Rutherfordium with the atomic symbol of Rf. The IUPAC choose Rutherfordium over the Russians' choice of Kurchatovium, which was in honor of Igor Vasilevich Kurchatov (1903-1960), former Head of Soviet Nuclear Research.

  [Last update: 2/22/2007]

  Notes below

  Rutherfordium Menu

  • Rutherfordium Page One
    • Overview of Rutherfordium
    • Rutherfordium's Name in Other Languages
    • Atomic Structure of Rutherfordium
    • Chemical Properties of Rutherfordium
    • Physical Properties of Rutherfordium
    • Regulatory / Health
    • Who/When/Where/How
  • Rutherfordium Page Two
    • Nuclides / Isotopes
    • Potential Parent Nuclides

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