Known properties | |
---|---|
Name, Symbol, Number | Rutherfordium, Rf, 104 |
Chemical series | Transition metals |
Group, Period, Block | 4[?], 7 , d |
Appearance | unknown; probably metallic, silvery white or gray |
Atomic weight | [261] amu |
Electron configuration | probably [Rn]5f14 6d2 7s2 |
e- 's per energy level | 2,8,18,32,32,10,2 |
State of matter | Presumably a solid |
Rutherfordium is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Rf and atomic number 104. This is a highly radioactive synthetic element whose most stable isotope has a half life of less than 70 seconds. This element therefore is not used for anything and little is known about it. Rutherfordium is the first transactinide element[?] and is is predicted to have chemical properties similar to hafnium.
In 1969 researchers at the University of California, Berkeley synthesized the element by subjecting californium-249 and carbon-12 to high energy collisions. The UC group also stated that they could not reproduce the earlier synthesis by Soviet scientists.
This resulted in an element naming controversy; Since the Soviets claimed that it was first detected in Dubna, Dubium (Db) was suggested, as was Kurchatovium and symbol Ku for element 104, in honor of Igor Vasilevich Kurchatov[?] (1903-1960), former Head of Soviet Nuclear Research. The Americans, however, proposed Rutherfordium (symbol Rf) for the new element to honor Ernest R. Rutherford a noted New Zealand nuclear physicist. The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAC) adopted Unnilquadium (symbol Unq) as a temporary name for this element. However in 1997 they resolved the dispute and adopted the current name.
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump