Gourt > Science > Chemistry > Elements > Plutonium
Plutonium is a radioactive, metallic, chemical element. It has the symbol Pu and the atomic number 94. It is the element used in most modern nuclear weapons. The most important isotope of plutonium is 239Pu, with a half-life of 24,110 years. It can be made from natural uranium and is fissile. The most stable isotope is 244Pu, with a half-life of about 80 million years, long enough to be found in extremely small quantities in nature. Nuclear materials workers sometimes call it "plute".
Notable characteristics
Plutonium is silvery in pure form, but has a yellow tarnish when oxidized. Peculiarly, the metal goes through phases of contraction as its temperature is increased. It is also notable in that it posseses a low-symmetry structure causing it to become progressively more brittle over time.
The heat given off by alpha particle emission makes plutonium warm to the touch in reasonable quantities; larger amounts can boil water. It displays five ionic oxidation states in aqueous solution:
- PuIII, as Pu3+ (blue lavender)
- PuIV, as Pu4+ (yellow brown)
- PuVI, as PuO22+ (pink orange)
- PuV, as PuO2+ (thought to be pink; this ion is unstable in solution and will disproportionate into Pu4+ and PuO22+; the Pu4+ will then oxidize the remaining PuO2+ to PuO22+, being reduced in turn to Pu3+. Thus, aqueous solutions of plutonium tend over time towards a mixture of Pu3+ and PuO22+.)
- PuVII, as PuO52- (dark red); the heptavalent ion is rare and prepared only under extreme oxidizing conditions.
Actinides :: Elements
Nuclear Fuel :: Nuclear
Nuclear :: Weapons
@fel1x: "number of weapons that can be made from reprocessed plutonium stockpile"
flxflx (fluxfelix) Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:45:05 -0000
@fel1x: "number of weapons that can be made from reprocessed plutonium stockpile"
Please check out Plutonium Files on Google Video ( #JesseVenturaLivestream live on http://livestream.com/TRUTV )
CitizenInvestig (Citizen Investigator) Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:20:57 -0000
Please check out Plutonium Files on Google Video ( #JesseVenturaLivestream live on http://livestream.com/TRUTV )
@leyface I'm sure in 1985 plutonium is available at every corner drugstore, but in 1955, it's a little hard to come by. #greatscott
ABAwesome (Adrian B) Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:48:28 -0000
@leyface I'm sure in 1985 plutonium is available at every corner drugstore, but in 1955, it's a little hard to come by. #greatscott
I think Keifer Sutherland should do those Bank Of America commercials as Jack Bauer: "Janice will show us how easy it is to buy plutonium!"
mootek (Mike Cahill) Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:22:19 -0000
I think Keifer Sutherland should do those Bank Of America commercials as Jack Bauer: "Janice will show us how easy it is to buy plutonium!"
Kyushu Power began use of Japan's 1st plutonium thermal reactor yesterday. (eng) http://bit.ly/6Tz7J1
fukuokanow (Fukuoka Now) Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:19:38 -0000
Kyushu Power began use of Japan's 1st plutonium thermal reactor yesterday. (eng) http://bit.ly/6Tz7J1
@JNez Huh, your kids are that powerful? It'd take a DeLorean and a gang of plutonium (or my high school yearbook) to get me back to 1989.
allaboutgeorge (George Kelly) Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:58:02 -0000
@JNez Huh, your kids are that powerful? It'd take a DeLorean and a gang of plutonium (or my high school yearbook) to get me back to 1989.
ChemGlobe: Plutonium - Electronic, thermal, and steric data along with an isotope table.
Meta Description: [ The chemical element [Pu] - Plutonium - Datasheet ]
Chemical Elements.com - Plutonium (Pu) - Information on the chemical properties of plutonium, as well as its electron cloud diagram.
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Chemlab: Plutonium - Gives a quick reference to the chemical properties of Plutonium, as well as an extensive list of its isotopes.
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EnvironmentalChemistry.com: Plutonium - Atomic structure, chemical and physical properties, and table of nuclides.
It's Elemental: Plutonium - Basic physical and historical information.
Meta Description: [ The Element Plutonium - Basic Physical and Historical Information ]
LANL: Plutonium - Isotopes, uses, properties, and hazards.
Lenntech: Plutonium - Physical data, chemical properties, health and environmental effects.
Meta Description: [ chemical properties, health and environmental effects of plutonium ]
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Periodic Table : Scholar edition: Plutonium : Index of properties - Extensive information about nearly every chemical property of plutonium.
Meta Description: [ This WebElements periodic table page contains Index of properties for the element plutonium ]
plutonium - Information about the history and properties of plutonium in paragraph form.
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Plutonium - Provides a number of data tables with plutonium's chemical properties. It also contains an extensive history of plutonium.
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Plutonium Fact Sheet - A fact sheet about plutonium from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
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Plutonium: The 94th Element - An extensive research document about plutonium. It includes pictures and graphs.
Radiochemistry of Plutonium - Full text of the monograph by George H. Coleman (University of California, Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, Livermore, California). [PDF]
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Seaborg Center - Seaborg Links - A biography of Glenn Seaborg, the discoverer of plutonium.
Superconductor: Plutonium - Describes the way that scientists found a way to use plutonium as a supercondutor.
Meta Description: [ NEW RESEARCH: AGAINST ALL ODDS, A PLUTONIUM COMPOUND IS The LATEST SUPERCONDUCTOR ]
TCAEP.co.uk: Science: Periodic Table: Elements: Plutonium - A concise table of the chemical properties of plutonium. Also includes the spelling of its name in several European languages.
Meta Description: [ Over 600 alphabetically listed Constants, aspects of maths, some 450 equations,Additions & Multiplication tables, Interactive conversions and details on all the standard SI units identities, including complex numbers of measurement, Greek alphabet, electronic symbols and mathematical symbols ]
The Actinide Research Quarterly: Winter 1997 : On the Disposal of Plutonium - An article that is an interview with a leading scientist on the disposal of plutonium.
Visual Elements: Plutonium - Image, general and physical information, source, uses, and key isotopes.
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Webelements : Plutonium - Gives extensive information concerning Plutonium, including its compounds, history, and properties.
Meta Description: [ This WebElements periodic table page contains key information for the element plutonium ]
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