Home/ Elements/ Rf
Rutherfordium
Rf 104

Rutherfordium

Rutherfordium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Rf and atomic number 104. It is named in honor of New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford. Rutherfordium was first detected in 1964 at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, and independently confirmed in 1966 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. It is the first transactinide element and has no known practical applications outside of scientific research.

Transition Metal cc0059
Atomic number 104Z
Atomic mass 267u
Valence e⁻ 2
Electron config. 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d10 4p6 5s2 4d10 5p6 6s2 4f14 5d10 6p6 7s2 5f14 6d2
Density
23.2g/cm³
Melting point
2127°C
Crustal abundance
—
Annual production
—
Recycling rate
0%(Synthetic element (Z=104); produced in vanishingly small quantities)

Why This Element

Rutherfordium marks the start of the supertransition metals — beyond the actinide block. No stable isotopes exist. No commercial applications. Its chemistry is studied via single-atom experiments, testing periodic table extension theories beyond known elements.

Applications

Research

Applications in DepthElement & compound uses

Main Uses of the Element

Rutherfordium is the transactinide (superheavy) element with atomic number 104, synthesized in the 1960s by teams at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, USSR, and at Berkeley, U.S., by bombarding lead and plutonium targets with heavy ions. All of its isotopes have half-lives within the minute scale, it does not occur in nature, and it can only be produced atom by atom in heavy-ion accelerators. It has no industrial or civilian uses and is studied only to test whether the chemistry of superheavy elements follows the periodic law.

Key Compounds and Their Uses

Rutherfordium compounds such as rutherfordium tetrachloride (RfCl4) have only been briefly measured in single-atom gas-phase and solution-phase chemistry experiments, to test whether it behaves like hafnium and zirconium; they have never been prepared or weighed in macroscopic quantities and have no practical application.

Element History

First superactinide element — two conflicting discovery claims (Berkeley 1964, Dubna 1966) led to naming disputes. IUPAC settled the controversy in 1997, accepting the name 'rutherfordium' after Ernest Rutherford for contributions to nuclear physics. Rf-267 (48-minute half-life) is the longest-lived isotope.

Related Elements

Sc · Scandium Ti · Titanium V · Vanadium Cr · Chromium Mn · Manganese Fe · Iron Co · Cobalt Ni · Nickel

Frequently Asked QuestionsLong-tail Q&A · data-driven

What is the melting point of Rutherfordium?
2127 °C
What is the boiling point of Rutherfordium?
5527 °C
What is the density of Rutherfordium?
23.2 g/cm³
What are the atomic number and category of Rutherfordium?
104 · Transition Metal
Which ore is Rutherfordium mainly extracted from?
None (synthetic)
What are the main uses of Rutherfordium?
Rutherfordium marks the start of the supertransition metals — beyond the actinide block. No stable isotopes exist. No commercial applications. Its chemistry is studied via single-atom experiments, testing periodic table
Who discovered Rutherfordium and when?
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research · 1964