Rutherfordium (Rf)

Atomic Number104
Atomic Mass267 u
CategoryTransition metal
Electron Config[Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d² 7s²
Melting Point2400 K
Boiling Point5800 K
Ionization Energy580 kJ/mol
Crystal StructureHexagonal Close-packed (predicted)
Discovered ByJoint Institute for Nuclear Research (1964)

Brief Introduction

Rutherfordium (Rf) is a synthetic, radioactive transactinide element. It is the first element in the 6d transition metal series. Key details about Rutherfordium (Rf) are as follows:

Uses: No practical applications. Used only in scientific research to study the properties of superheavy elements and test theoretical models.

Production/Extraction: Produced by bombarding plutonium or californium with neon or oxygen ions in particle accelerators. Only a few atoms are produced at a time.

History: Discovered independently in 1964 by teams at Dubna, Russia and UC Berkeley. Named after Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear physics, after a naming controversy.

Health Effects & Safety: Highly radioactive. Extreme rarity means no health data, but assumed to be extremely dangerous.

Price/Market: Not commercially available. Produced only for research.

Properties: Radioactive, predicted to be a solid metal, most stable isotope Rf-267 has half-life of about 1.3 hours, expected to behave chemically similar to hafnium.

← Lawrencium (Lr) · Dubnium (Db) →

Periodic Table