Page "Rutherfordium" Paragraph 10

As a consequence of the initial competing claims of discovery, an element naming controversy arose.

Since the Soviets claimed to have first detected the new element they suggested the name kurchatovium, Ku, in honor of Igor Kurchatov ( 1903 – 1960 ), former head of Soviet nuclear research.

This name had been used in books of the Soviet Bloc as the official name of the element.

The Americans, however, proposed rutherfordium ( Rf ) for the new element to honor Ernest Rutherford, who is known as the " father " of nuclear physics.

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry ( IUPAC ) adopted unnilquadium, Unq, as a temporary, systematic element name, derived from the Latin names for digits 1, 0, and 4.

In 1994, IUPAC suggested the name dubnium to be used since rutherfordium was suggested for element 106 and IUPAC felt that the Dubna team should be rightly recognized for their contributions.

However, there was still a dispute over the names of elements 104 – 107.

In 1997 the teams involved resolved the dispute and adopted the current name rutherfordium.

The name dubnium was given to element 105 at the same time.