Rutherfordium
Rutherfordium is a synthetic chemical element with the symbol Rf and atomic number 104, named after New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford. It is not found in nature and can only be made in a laboratory. It is radioactive; the most stable known isotope, 267Rf, has a half-life of approximately 1.3 hours.[1]
| Rutherfordium | |
|---|---|
| Properties | |
| Atomic symbol | Rf |
| Atomic number | 104 |
| Classification | Transactinides |
| Atomic mass | 261 amu |
| Other Information | |
| Date of discovery | 1969 |
| Name of discoverer | A. Ghiorso, Nurmia, Harris, K.A.Y. Eskola, and P.L. Eskola |
| Name origin | Named in honor of Lord Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealand physicist and chemist. |
| Uses | Research purposes only. |
| Obtained from | Only a few thousand atoms have ever been obtained by bombarding 249Cf with 12C and 13C ions. |