Rutherfordium
In the periodic table of the elements, it is a d-block element and the first of the transactinide elements. It is a member of the 7th period and belongs to the group 4 elements. Chemistry experiments have confirmed that rutherfordium behaves as the heavier homologue to hafnium in group 4. The chemical properties of rutherfordium are characterized only partly. They compare well with the chemistry of the other group 4 elements, even though some calculations had indicated that the element might show significantly different properties due to relativistic effects.
In the 1960s, small amounts of rutherfordium were produced in laboratories in the former Soviet Union and in California. The priority of the discovery and therefore the naming of the element was disputed between Soviet and American scientists, and it was not until 1997 that International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) established rutherfordium as the official name for the element.
Discovery of Rutherfordium
Rutherfordium may first have been synthesized in 1964 when a team of scientists at Dubna, Russia bombarded plutonium with neon ions.
The discovery was not universally accepted and the synthesis was repeated at Dubna in 1966, and this is generally accepted as the discovery date of Rutherfordium.
The element is named after physicist and chemist Lord Ernest Rutherford, who is known as the father of nuclear physics.
Appearance and Characteristics
Harmful effects:
Rutherfordium is harmful due to its radioactivity.
Characteristics:
- Rutherfordium is a synthetic radioactive metal created by nuclear bombardment. It has only been produced in miniscule amounts. It is expected to have similar characteristics to hafnium and zirconium.
Uses of Rutherfordium
- Rutherfordium is of research interest only.
