rutherfordium
[ ruhth-er-fawr-dee-uh m, -fohr-, ruhth- ]
/ ˌrʌð ərˈfɔr di əm, -ˈfoʊr-, ˌrʌθ- /
noun Chemistry, Physics.
a superheavy, synthetic, radioactive element with a very short half-life. Symbol: Rf; atomic number: 104.
Formerly
unnilquadium,
element 104.
Origin of rutherfordium
1969; named after English physicist Ernest
Rutherford; see
-ium
Words nearby rutherfordium
ruthenious,
ruthenium,
rutherford,
rutherford scattering,
rutherford, ernest,
rutherfordium,
ruthful,
ruthless,
rutidosis,
rutilant,
rutilated
British Dictionary definitions for rutherfordium
rutherfordium
/ (ˌrʌðəˈfɔːdɪəm) /
noun
a transactinide element produced by bombarding californium-249 nuclei with carbon-12 nuclei. Symbol: Rf; atomic number.: 104; atomic wt: 261
Name in the former Soviet Union: kurchatovium
Word Origin for rutherfordium
C20: named after Ernest
Rutherford
Scientific definitions for rutherfordium
rutherfordium
[ rŭð′ər-fôr′dē-əm ]
Rf
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. See Periodic Table.