Pure and Applied Chemistry

Abstract: In this paper, the chemical properties of the transactinide elements rutherfordium, Rf (element 104); dubnium, Db (element 105); and seaborgium, Sg (element 106) are critically reviewed. The experimental methods for performing rapid chemical separations on a time scale of seconds are reviewed, and comments are given on the special situation with the transactinides for which the chemistry has to be studied with single atoms. There follows a systematic description of theoretical predictions and experimental results on the chemistry of Rf, Db, and Sg - their mutual comparison and evaluation. The literature cited has the cutoff date of March 1999. The more recent chemical identification of bohrium, Bh (element 107), and of hassium, Hs (element 108), should be evaluated in a future Part II of this report.