| All Rutherfordium properties were studies only with single atoms of 259Rf (T1/2 = 3 seconds). First chemical experiments were carried out in 1966 in USSR by Zavarova. It was shown, that the properties of RfCl3 are very similar to those of HfCl3 and significantly different from actinides chloride. In this experiment Rutherfordium was synthesized via reaction 242Pu(22Ne,5n)259Rf with consequent slowing down the rutherfordium atoms in a stream of N2 gas (150 kPa, 300-350°C) with added chloride-rich compounds (NbCl5 with ZrCl4 or TiCl4 with SOCl2). After this chlorides of all actinides were suspended on the chamber walls, but the RfCl3 stay in gaseous state and subsequently registered by spontaneous pressure. In total, during these experiments 12 atoms of Rutherfordium were detected. |