Gas Phase Chemistry Experiments with Transactinide Elements

Abstract

In the past few years on-line gas chromatography has been successfully applied to separate volatile chlorides and bromides of element 104 (Rf = rutherfordium) and element 105 (Ha = hahnium) from heavy actinides. The volatility of these compounds was studied and compared with that of their lighter homologues under similar experimental conditions. The current article gives an overview about the predicted, relativistic and from empirical extrapolations expected chemical properties, it presents the latest experimental developments, the available experimental data on Rf and Ha halides, and discusses the analysis and the interpretation of these results in comparison with theoretical predictions.