Fluoride complex formation of element 104, rutherfordium

Nagame, Yuichiro ; Toyoshima, Atsushi; Ishii, Yasuo; Tsukada, Kazuaki  ; Asai, Masato  ; Tome, Hayato; Kasamatsu, Yoshitaka; Nishinaka, Ichiro; Sato, Tetsuya   ; Haba, Hiromitsu*; Kikunaga, Hidetoshi*; Akiyama, Kazuhiko*; Oura, Yasuji*; Nakahara, Hiromichi*; Sato, Wataru*; Shinohara, Atsushi*; Goto, Shinichi*; Kudo, Hisaaki*; Yokoyama, Akihiko*; Sakama, Minoru*; Sueki, Keisuke*; Schdel, M.*; Brchle, W.*; Kratz, J. V.*

We present a study of fluoride complex formation of Rf at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Anion- and cation-exchange behavior of Rf was systematically investigated in HF/HNO mixed solution together with the lighter homologues Zr and Hf using the automated ion-exchange separation apparatus coupled with the detection system for alpha spectroscopy. We unequivocally determined the species of Rf on the binding sites of the resin as the hexafluoro complex [RfF]. It is found that there is about two-orders of magnitude difference in the fluoride ion concentration between Rf and the homologues for the formation of the hexafluoro complexes. The result clearly demonstrates that the formation of the fluoride complexes of Rf is much weaker than those of the homologues Zr and Hf.