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Plutonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is a silvery-gray actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized . The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation states .
Plutonium-238 was the first isotope of plutonium to be discovered. It was synthesized by Glenn Seaborg and associates in December 1940 by bombarding uranium-238 with deuterons, creating neptunium-238. 238 92 U + 2 1 H → 238 93 Np + 2 n. The neptunium isotope then undergoes β − decay to plutonium-238, with a half-life of 2.12 days: [6] 238 ...
Decay energy (MeV) Alpha decay. 5.25575 (14) [2] Isotopes of plutonium. Complete table of nuclides. Plutonium-240 (240. Pu. or Pu-240) is an isotope of plutonium formed when plutonium-239 captures a neutron. The detection of its spontaneous fission led to its discovery in 1944 at Los Alamos and had important consequences for the Manhattan Project.
talk. edit. Plutonium (94 Pu) is an artificial element, except for trace quantities resulting from neutron capture by uranium, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all artificial elements, it has no stable isotopes. It was synthesized long before being found in nature, the first isotope synthesized being plutonium-238 in 1940.
Plutonium-239 is the primary fissile isotope used for the production of nuclear weapons, although uranium-235 is also used for that purpose. Plutonium-239 is also one of the three main isotopes demonstrated usable as fuel in thermal spectrum nuclear reactors, along with uranium-235 and uranium-233.
Plutonium-241 is a beta emitter with a half-life of 14.3 years, corresponding to a decay of about 5% of 241 Pu nuclei over a one-year period. This decay has a Q-value of 20.78 ± 0.17 keV and a mean of 5.227 ± 0.043 keV, and does not emit gamma rays. [1] The longer spent nuclear fuel waits before reprocessing, the more 241 Pu decays to ...
Plutonium compounds. Plutonium compounds are compounds containing the element plutonium (Pu). At room temperature, pure plutonium is silvery in color but gains a tarnish when oxidized. [1] The element displays four common ionic oxidation states in aqueous solution and one rare one: [2] 5 (green)-the heptavalent ion is rare.
Glenn T. Seaborg. Glenn Theodore Seaborg (/ ˈsiːbɔːrɡ / SEE-borg; April 19, 1912 – February 25, 1999) was an American chemist whose involvement in the synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements earned him a share of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. [3] His work in this area also led to his development of the ...