rutherfordium
    n 1: a radioactive transuranic element which has been
         synthesized [syn: rutherfordium, Rf, unnilquadium,
         Unq, element 104, atomic number 104]

kurchatovium \kurchatovium\ n. [From Igor Kurchatov, a Russian
   scientist who worked on the atomic bomb.]
   A transuranic element of atomic number 104, symbol Ku; also
   called rutherfordium, symbol Rf. It is produced in very
   small quantities by nuclear reactions. In November 1993 the
   nomenclature committe of the American Chemical Society
   approved the name rutherfordium for element 104. Russsian
   investigators who claim to have first discovered element 104,
   isotope 260 (half-life 0.3 seconds) in 1964 at Dubna proposed
   the name kurchatovium. However, investigators at Berkely in
   1969 produced several isotopes of element 104 but were unable
   to produce isotope 260; they reported finding isotope 257,
   with a half-life of 4-5 seconds, isotope 259 with a half-life
   of 3-4 seconds, and isotope 258 with a shorter half-life.

   Syn: rutherfordium, Rf, Ku, unnilquadium, Unq, element 104,
        atomic number 104.
        [WordNet 1.5 +PJC] kurchee

rutherfordium
Symbol: Rf
Competing name for unnilquadium, the 104th element, proposed by the
American Chemical Society. Also competing name for unnilhexium
the 106th element, proposed by the IUPAC. Finally in 1997 the IUPAC
decided to use Rutherfordium as the official name of the 104th element.