Rutherfordium

TRANSITION METAL · GROUP 4 · PERIOD 7
104
Rf
Rutherfordium
267

Atomic Data

Atomic Number104
SymbolRf
Atomic Weight267 u
Density (STP)N/A
Melting PointN/A °C (None K)
Boiling PointN/A °C (None K)
Electronegativity:
Electron Config.1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f14 6s2 6p6 6d2 7s2
Oxidation States+4
Phase at STPSolid
CategoryTransition Metal
Period / Group7 / 4
CAS Number53850-36-5

Electron Configuration

[Rn] 5f14 6d2 7s2

Shell n Subshell Electrons Cumulative
K11s22
L22s24
L22p610
M33s212
M33p618
M33d1028
N44s230
N44p636
N44d1046
N44f1460
O55s262
O55p668
O55d1078
O55f1492
P66s294
P66p6100
P66d2102
Q77s2104
Total 104 104

Isotopes of Rutherfordium

Rutherfordium has two naturally occurring stable isotopes. The most abundant is ²⁶⁵Rf, comprising None% of all naturally occurring Rutherfordium.

Isotope Symbol Protons Neutrons Abundance Stability
Rutherfordium-265²⁶⁵Rf104161traceStable
Rutherfordium-267²⁶⁷Rf104163traceStable

Abundance & Occurrence

Rutherfordium is present in Earth's crust at approximately trace amounts by mass and at approximately trace amounts by mass throughout the universe.

Earth's Crust (ppm by mass)

Rutherfordium
None ppm
Silicon (ref.)
277,000 ppm
Oxygen (ref.)
461,000 ppm

Universe (ppm by mass)

Rutherfordium
None ppm
Helium (ref.)
230,000 ppm
Hydrogen (ref.)
739,000 ppm

Discovery & History

1964
Georgy Flerov et al. (Dubna): Flerov's group at Dubna reported synthesis of element 104 by bombarding plutonium with neon ions, proposing the name kurchatovium after Soviet physicist Igor Kurchatov: but the results were disputed by Berkeley.
1969
Albert Ghiorso et al. (Lawrence Berkeley): Ghiorso's team produced rutherfordium by bombarding californium-249 with carbon-12 ions, proposing the name rutherfordium after Ernest Rutherford: a priority dispute with Dubna lasted until IUPAC settled on rutherfordium in 1997.
1997
IUPAC: IUPAC formally assigned the name rutherfordium (Rf) to element 104, recognising Rutherford's discovery of the atomic nucleus and resolving the Cold War naming dispute between American and Soviet research teams.

Read more about the discovery of the periodic table of elements →

Safety & Handling

  • Alpha radiation and short half-life: Rutherfordium isotopes are short-lived alpha emitters (Rf-265, t½ = 13 h); only a few atoms are produced per experiment, and the element decays before any macroscopic quantity could accumulate.
  • No conventional hazard: The quantities of rutherfordium ever synthesised total fewer than a billion atoms; there is no practical bulk radiological or chemical hazard from the element itself.
  • Accelerator environment: Synthesis requires heavy ion accelerators operating at high beam currents; the accelerator facility radiation environment (prompt radiation, activated targets) is the primary safety concern.
  • Regulatory controls: All transactinide research is conducted at licensed nuclear facilities with comprehensive radiation protection programmes.

Real-World Uses

  • Superheavy element research: Rutherfordium (Rf) isotopes (Rf-265, Rf-267) are produced at heavy-ion accelerators (GSI Darmstadt, JINR Dubna, RIKEN) to study whether the chemical behaviour follows the expected extrapolation of hafnium chemistry in Group 4, or whether relativistic effects introduce anomalies.
  • Nuclear stability mapping: Alpha-decay chains of Rf isotopes provide data connecting superheavy elements to known nuclides, helping to map the landscape of nuclear stability and identify candidates for the predicted island of stability.
  • No commercial applications: Rutherfordium is produced a few atoms at a time; its most stable isotope (Rf-267) has a half-life of about 1.3 hours, and no applications outside fundamental research are conceivable.

Downloadable Resources

Free periodic table reference sheets for classrooms, study sessions, and laboratory use.

Colour PDF Black & White PDF

Frequently Asked Questions

Has rutherfordium ever been used for anything?

No. Rutherfordium has no known uses outside of scientific research. It exists only in atom-at-a-time quantities produced in particle accelerators, and its longest-lived isotope (Rf-267) has a half-life of only about 1.3 hours. The few atoms produced are used to study its chemical and nuclear properties, helping scientists understand how chemistry behaves at the extreme end of the periodic table.

How many atoms of rutherfordium have been made?

Only a few atoms of rutherfordium at a time can be produced and studied. It is synthesised by bombarding heavy target nuclei (such as plutonium or curium) with lighter ions (such as carbon or neon) in particle accelerators. The number of atoms produced per experiment is typically in the range of a few per hour or per day, and they decay in seconds to hours.

Is rutherfordium radioactive?

Yes, all isotopes of rutherfordium are radioactive. The most stable known isotope, Rf-267, has a half-life of about 1.3 hours. Most other isotopes decay in seconds to minutes by alpha emission or spontaneous fission. Rutherfordium marks the beginning of the transactinide elements, all of which are radioactive and have no stable isotopes.

How did rutherfordium get its name?

Rutherfordium was named after Ernest Rutherford, the New Zealand-born physicist who discovered the atomic nucleus in 1911 and is considered the father of nuclear physics. The naming was agreed by IUPAC in 1997, after a prolonged priority dispute between the Berkeley group (who called it rutherfordium) and the Dubna group in the USSR (who called it kurchatovium, after Soviet physicist Igor Kurchatov). IUPAC awarded priority to Berkeley and accepted the name rutherfordium.