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Plutonium-241 (241 Pu or Pu-241) is an isotope of plutonium formed when plutonium-240 captures a neutron.Like some other plutonium isotopes (especially 239 Pu), 241 Pu is fissile, with a neutron absorption cross section about one-third greater than that of 239 Pu, and a similar probability of fissioning on neutron absorption, around 73%.
240 Pu, 241 Pu, and 242 Pu are produced by further neutron capture. The odd-mass isotopes 239 Pu and 241 Pu have about a 3/4 chance of undergoing fission on capture of a thermal neutron and about a 1/4 chance of retaining the neutron and becoming the next heavier isotope.
Pu-239 is produced artificially in nuclear reactors when a neutron is absorbed by U-238, forming U-239, which then decays in a rapid two-step process into Pu-239. [22] It can then be separated from the uranium in a nuclear reprocessing plant. [23] Weapons-grade plutonium is defined as being predominantly Pu-239, typically about 93% Pu-239. [24]
The main decay mode for isotopes heavier than 244 Pu, along with 241 Pu and 243 Pu, is beta emission, forming americium isotopes (95 protons). Plutonium-241 is the parent isotope of the neptunium series, decaying to americium-241 via beta emission. [11] [26] Plutonium-238 and 239 are the most widely synthesized isotopes.
241 Pu ƒ: 250 Cf 227 Ac № 10–29 a: 90 Sr 85 Kr 113m Cd þ: 232 U ƒ: 238 Pu ƒ: 243 Cm ƒ: 29–97 a: 137 Cs 151 Sm þ: 121m Sn 249 Cf ƒ: 242m Am ƒ: 141–351 a No fission products have a half-life in the range of 100 a–210 ka ... 241 Am ƒ: 251 Cf ƒ [11] 430–900 a 226 Ra № 247 Bk 1.3–1.6 ka 240 Pu 229 Th 246 Cm ƒ: 243 Am ƒ: 4 ...
plutonium containing 238 Pu, 239 Pu, 240 Pu, 241 Pu, and 242 Pu, minor actinides including 237 Np, 241 Am, 243 Am, curium isotopes, and perhaps californium; reprocessed uranium containing 236 U and other isotopes; tritium; activation products of neutron capture by the reactor or bomb structure or the environment
In contrast, the generic civilian Pressurized water reactor, routinely does (typical for 2015 Generation II reactor) 45 GWd/tU of burnup, resulting in the purity of Pu-239 being 50.5%, alongside a Pu-240 content of 25.2%, [5] [6] The remaining portion includes much more of the heat generating Pu-238 and Pu-241 isotopes than are to be found in ...
After removal of fuel from reactor, decay will predominate for shorter-lived isotopes such as 238 Pu, 241 Pu, 242–244 Cm; but 245–248 Cm are all long-lived. Fertile material is a material that, although not fissile itself, can be converted into a fissile material by neutron absorption .