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To reduce the concentration of Pu-240 in the plutonium produced, weapons program plutonium production reactors (e.g. B Reactor) irradiate the uranium for a far shorter time than is normal for a nuclear power reactor. More precisely, weapons-grade plutonium is obtained from uranium irradiated to a low burnup.
A Zippe-type centrifuge [9] has a hollow, cylindrical rotor filled with gaseous uranium hexafluoride (UF 6) A rotating magnetic field at the bottom of the rotor, as used in an electric motor, is able to spin it quickly enough that the UF 6 is thrown towards the outer wall, with the 238 UF 6 enriched in the outermost layer and the 235 UF 6 ...
Isotope separation is the process of concentrating specific isotopes of a chemical element by removing other isotopes. The use of the nuclides produced is varied. The largest variety is used in research (e.g. in chemistry where atoms of "marker" nuclide are used to figure out reaction mechanisms).
It is the acid anion that influences the degree of complexing—how atoms connect to a central atom—of the plutonium species. Additionally, the formal +2 oxidation state of plutonium is known in the complex [K(2.2.2-cryptand)] [Pu II Cp″ 3], Cp″ = C 5 H 3 (SiMe 3) 2. [5] A +8 oxidation state is possible as well in the volatile tetroxide ...
Plutonium(IV) oxide, or plutonia, is a chemical compound with the formula Pu O 2. This high melting-point solid is a principal compound of plutonium . It can vary in color from yellow to olive green, depending on the particle size, temperature and method of production.
A small percentage of plutonium-239 can be deliberately added to fresh nuclear fuel. Such fuel is called MOX (mixed oxide) fuel, as it contains a mixture of uranium dioxide (UO 2) and plutonium dioxide (PuO 2). The addition of plutonium-239 reduces the need to enrich the uranium in the fuel.
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Special nuclear material (SNM) is a term used by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission to classify fissile materials.The NRC divides special nuclear material into three main categories, according to the risk and potential for its direct use in a clandestine nuclear weapon or for its use in the production of nuclear material for use in a nuclear weapon.