rutherfordium

American  

[ruhth-er-fawr-dee-uhm, -fohr-, ruhth-] / ˌrʌð ərˈfɔr di əm, -ˈfoʊr-, ˌrʌθ- /

noun

Chemistry, Physics.

1. a superheavy, synthetic, radioactive element with a very short half-life. Rf; 104.

---

rutherfordium British  

/ ˌrʌðəˈfɔːdɪəm /

noun

1. Name in the former Soviet Union: kurchatovium.  a transactinide element produced by bombarding californium-249 nuclei with carbon-12 nuclei. Symbol: Rf; atomic number.: 104; atomic wt: 261

---

rutherfordium Scientific  

/ rŭth′ər-fôr′dē-əm /

1. A synthetic, radioactive element that is produced by bombarding plutonium with carbon or neon ions. Its most stable isotope is Rf 261 with a half-life of 62 seconds. Atomic number 104.

2. See Periodic Table

---

Etymology

Origin of rutherfordium

First recorded in 1965–70; officially assigned to element 104 in 1997; named after English physicist Ernest Rutherford; -ium ( def. )

Example Sentences

Many are named after great scientists: einsteinium, curium, fermium, mendelevium, bohrium and rutherfordium.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2014