Is rutherfordium a metal?

Yes. Rutherfordium is a metal, classified as a transition metal on the periodic table.

How many protons does rutherfordium have?

Rutherfordium has 104 protons. Its atomic number is 104, which is also the number of electrons in a neutral atom of rutherfordium.

What group and period is rutherfordium in?

Rutherfordium is in group 4 and period 7 of the periodic table, in the d-block.

What is the atomic mass of rutherfordium?

The atomic mass of rutherfordium is 267 u (unified atomic mass units).

Element 104

Rutherfordium (Rf)

Transition metal · Period 7 · Group 4 · d-block

Rutherfordium (Rf) is element 104 of the periodic table, a transition metal in period 7, group 4 (d-block) with an atomic mass of 267 and is a solid at standard conditions.

At a glance

Atomic number: 104
Symbol: Rf
Atomic mass: 267 u
Category: Transition metals
Period: 7
Group: 4
Block: d-block
Phase at STP: solid

Electron structure

Electron configuration: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f14 6d2 7s2
Shorthand configuration: [Rn] 5f14 6d2 7s2
Electrons per shell: 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 10, 2
Oxidation states: +4

Physical properties

Rutherfordium has only ever been produced in quantities too small to weigh or observe in bulk. The physical and atomic values below are theoretical predictions from periodic trends and relativistic calculations, not measurements.

Melting point: 2,400 K (2,126.85 °C) (predicted)
Boiling point: 5,800 K (5,526.85 °C) (predicted)
Density: 23.2 g/cm³ (predicted)
Phase: solid

Atomic properties

Covalent radius: 157 pm (predicted)
First ionization energy: 580 kJ/mol (predicted)

Notable isotopes

Notable isotopes of Rutherfordium: mass number, atomic mass, natural abundance, and stability.
Isotope	Mass	Abundance	Stability
Rf-267	267.12179	-	Half-life 1.3 hours

Common uses

Scientific research only

Discovery

Year: 1964
Discovered by: Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
Country: Russia/USA

Frequently asked questions

Is rutherfordium a metal?: Yes. Rutherfordium is a metal, classified as a transition metal on the periodic table.
How many protons does rutherfordium have?: Rutherfordium has 104 protons. Its atomic number is 104, which is also the number of electrons in a neutral atom of rutherfordium.
What group and period is rutherfordium in?: Rutherfordium is in group 4 and period 7 of the periodic table, in the d-block.
What is the atomic mass of rutherfordium?: The atomic mass of rutherfordium is 267 u (unified atomic mass units).

Keep exploring

Rutherfordium's row is on the printable element property sheet, and its tile is on the periodic table wall chart - the same numbers as above, laid out for A4 or A3 paper.