#104 / 118
104Rf[267]
Superheavy / Unknownsolid at STPD-block

Rutherfordium

Group: 4•Period: 7•Standard Atomic Weight: [267] u
Open Full Periodic TableView Bohr Model

Why is Rutherfordium in this position?

Understanding the scientific rationale behind Rutherfordium's position in the periodic table:

Group Assignment
Group 4

Belongs to Group 4 as the 6d homologue of Titanium, Zirconium, and Hafnium (6d² 7s²).

Period Assignment
Period 7

Belongs to Period 7 because its outermost electrons occupy n=7.

Orbital Block
D-block

Belongs to the d-block as the first 6d transition metal.

Chemical Category
Superheavy / Unknown

Classified as a superheavy transition metal.

Atomic Structure & Bohr Shell Model

Shell Distribution: [2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 10, 2]

Bohr Atomic Shell Model(2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 10, 2)

Hover or tap any shell orbit ring to inspect electron counts and 2n² capacities.

104 Protons (p⁺)163 Neutrons (n⁰)
KShell K: Electron 1 of 2Shell K: Electron 2 of 2LShell L: Electron 1 of 8Shell L: Electron 2 of 8Shell L: Electron 3 of 8Shell L: Electron 4 of 8Shell L: Electron 5 of 8Shell L: Electron 6 of 8Shell L: Electron 7 of 8Shell L: Electron 8 of 8MShell M: Electron 1 of 18Shell M: Electron 2 of 18Shell M: Electron 3 of 18Shell M: Electron 4 of 18Shell M: Electron 5 of 18Shell M: Electron 6 of 18Shell M: Electron 7 of 18Shell M: Electron 8 of 18Shell M: Electron 9 of 18Shell M: Electron 10 of 18Shell M: Electron 11 of 18Shell M: Electron 12 of 18Shell M: Electron 13 of 18Shell M: Electron 14 of 18Shell M: Electron 15 of 18Shell M: Electron 16 of 18Shell M: Electron 17 of 18Shell M: Electron 18 of 18NShell N: Electron 1 of 32Shell N: Electron 2 of 32Shell N: Electron 3 of 32Shell N: Electron 4 of 32Shell N: Electron 5 of 32Shell N: Electron 6 of 32Shell N: Electron 7 of 32Shell N: Electron 8 of 32Shell N: Electron 9 of 32Shell N: Electron 10 of 32Shell N: Electron 11 of 32Shell N: Electron 12 of 32Shell N: Electron 13 of 32Shell N: Electron 14 of 32Shell N: Electron 15 of 32Shell N: Electron 16 of 32Shell N: Electron 17 of 32Shell N: Electron 18 of 32Shell N: Electron 19 of 32Shell N: Electron 20 of 32Shell N: Electron 21 of 32Shell N: Electron 22 of 32Shell N: Electron 23 of 32Shell N: Electron 24 of 32Shell N: Electron 25 of 32Shell N: Electron 26 of 32Shell N: Electron 27 of 32Shell N: Electron 28 of 32Shell N: Electron 29 of 32Shell N: Electron 30 of 32Shell N: Electron 31 of 32Shell N: Electron 32 of 32OShell O: Electron 1 of 32Shell O: Electron 2 of 32Shell O: Electron 3 of 32Shell O: Electron 4 of 32Shell O: Electron 5 of 32Shell O: Electron 6 of 32Shell O: Electron 7 of 32Shell O: Electron 8 of 32Shell O: Electron 9 of 32Shell O: Electron 10 of 32Shell O: Electron 11 of 32Shell O: Electron 12 of 32Shell O: Electron 13 of 32Shell O: Electron 14 of 32Shell O: Electron 15 of 32Shell O: Electron 16 of 32Shell O: Electron 17 of 32Shell O: Electron 18 of 32Shell O: Electron 19 of 32Shell O: Electron 20 of 32Shell O: Electron 21 of 32Shell O: Electron 22 of 32Shell O: Electron 23 of 32Shell O: Electron 24 of 32Shell O: Electron 25 of 32Shell O: Electron 26 of 32Shell O: Electron 27 of 32Shell O: Electron 28 of 32Shell O: Electron 29 of 32Shell O: Electron 30 of 32Shell O: Electron 31 of 32Shell O: Electron 32 of 32PShell P: Electron 1 of 10Shell P: Electron 2 of 10Shell P: Electron 3 of 10Shell P: Electron 4 of 10Shell P: Electron 5 of 10Shell P: Electron 6 of 10Shell P: Electron 7 of 10Shell P: Electron 8 of 10Shell P: Electron 9 of 10Shell P: Electron 10 of 10QShell Q: Electron 1 of 2Shell Q: Electron 2 of 2RfZ = 104

Educational Note: This Niels Bohr planetary model visually illustrates principal quantum energy shells ($n=1, 2, 3\dots$) and electron counts. In modern quantum mechanics (Schrödinger model), electrons do not orbit in fixed circular planetary tracks, but exist as 3D probability clouds (orbitals: $s, p, d, f$) governed by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

Electron Shell Filling Breakdown

Shell K (n=1):2 / 2 electrons (100%)
Shell L (n=2):8 / 8 electrons (100%)
Shell M (n=3):18 / 18 electrons (100%)
Shell N (n=4):32 / 32 electrons (100%)
Shell O (n=5):32 / 50 electrons (64%)
Shell P (n=6):10 / 72 electrons (14%)
Shell Q (n=7):2 / 98 electrons (2%)
Aufbau Electron Configuration
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f¹⁴ 5s² 5p⁶ 5d¹⁰ 5f¹⁴ 6s² 6p⁶ 6d² 7s²

Neutral ground state configuration. Valence electrons: 4.

Atomic & Quantum Properties

Electronegativity (Pauling)Not available
1st Ionization Energy580 kJ/mol
Electron AffinityNot available
Atomic Radius (empirical)157 pm
Common Oxidation States+4
Crystal StructureHCP (predicted)

Physical & Thermal Properties

Density at STP23.2 g/cm³ (predicted)
Melting Point2100 °C (2373 K)
Boiling Point5500 °C (5773 K)
Magnetic OrderingParamagnetic
Discovery Year1964
Discovered ByJoint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna) & Lawrence Berkeley Lab

Real-World Uses, Occurrence & Compounds

Major Industrial & Everyday Uses
  • Frontier scientific research in superheavy nuclear decay and relativistic atomic theory
Occurrence in Nature

Synthesized in heavy-ion accelerators by bombarding Plutonium-242 with Neon-22 or Californium-249 with Carbon-12.

Etymology & Name Origin

Named in honor of Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear physics who discovered the atomic nucleus

Important Chemical Compounds
RfCl₄ (Rutherfordium tetrachloride, volatile gas at 200 °C)
Interesting Chemical Facts
  • • Automated chemistry robots at Berkeley proved that gaseous RfCl₄ behaves chemically just like HfCl₄, confirming the periodic law extends past element 103.
  • • The American and Soviet discovery teams engaged in a fierce 30-year naming controversy (Kurchatovium vs Rutherfordium) known as the 'Transfermium Wars'.
  • • The longest-lived isotope, Rutherfordium-267, has a half-life of roughly 1.3 hours.
Safety & Handling Note

Highly radioactive; produced only in quantities of single atoms.

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