Plutonium (Pu)

Plutonium is the 94th element in the periodic table and has a symbol of Pu and atomic number of 94. It has an atomic weight of (244) and a mass number of 221. Plutonium has ninety-four protons and one hundred twenty-seven neutrons in its nucleus, and ninety-four electrons in seven shells. It is located in group zero, period seven and block f of the periodic table. Dense silvery radioactive metallic transuranic element, belongs to the actinoids. Pu-244 is the most stable isotope with a half-life of 7.6*10^7 years. Thirteen isotopes are known. Pu-239 is the most important, it undergoes nuclear fission with slow neutrons and is hence important to nuclear weapons and reactors. Plutonium production is monitored down to the gram to prevent military misuse. First produced by Gleen T. Seaborg, Edwin M. McMillan, J.W. Kennedy and A.C. Wahl in 1940.

Atomic Number	94
Atomic Weight	244
Mass Number	221

Group
Period	7
Block	f

Protons	94 p⁺
Neutrons	127 n⁰
Electrons	94 e^-

Properties

Physical Properties
Atomic Radius	175 pm 278 pm
Molar Volume
Covalent Radius	172 pm 135 pm 187 pm
Metallic Radius
Ionic Radius	100 pm 86 pm 96 pm 74 pm 71 pm 116.8 pm
Crystal Radius	114 pm 100 pm 110 pm 88 pm 85 pm 130.8 pm
Van der Waals Radius	243 pm 252 pm 342.4 pm
Density	19.7 g/cm³ 16,630 kg/m³
Energy
Proton Affinity
Electron Affinity
Ionization Energy	6.0258 eV/particle 11.5 eV/particle 21 eV/particle 35 eV/particle 49 eV/particle 80 eV/particle 95 eV/particle 109 eV/particle 124 eV/particle 139 eV/particle 159 eV/particle 179 eV/particle 200 eV/particle 219 eV/particle 258 eV/particle 278 eV/particle 389 eV/particle 416 eV/particle 444 eV/particle 474 eV/particle 503 eV/particle 532 eV/particle 575 eV/particle 605 eV/particle 637 eV/particle 668 eV/particle 820 eV/particle 850 eV/particle 890 eV/particle 930 eV/particle 1,030 eV/particle 1,070 eV/particle 1,180 eV/particle 1,220 eV/particle 1,340 eV/particle 1,420 eV/particle 1,500 eV/particle 1,580 eV/particle 1,660 eV/particle 1,700 eV/particle 1,820 eV/particle 1,890 eV/particle 1,990 eV/particle 2,070 eV/particle 2,150 eV/particle 2,200 eV/particle 2,310 eV/particle 2,390 eV/particle 2,774 eV/particle 2,844 eV/particle 2,918 eV/particle 2,997 eV/particle 3,072 eV/particle 3,146 eV/particle 3,290 eV/particle 3,366 eV/particle 3,449 eV/particle 3,527 eV/particle 3,836 eV/particle 3,911 eV/particle 3,993 eV/particle 4,068 eV/particle 4,496 eV/particle 4,585 eV/particle 4,807 eV/particle 4,890 eV/particle 7,820 eV/particle 7,990 eV/particle 8,170 eV/particle 8,360 eV/particle 8,540 eV/particle 8,720 eV/particle 9,130 eV/particle 9,310 eV/particle 9,520 eV/particle 9,700 eV/particle 10,230 eV/particle 10,390 eV/particle 10,570 eV/particle 10,730 eV/particle 12,060 eV/particle 12,260 eV/particle 12,660 eV/particle 12,840 eV/particle 26,480 eV/particle 26,920 eV/particle 27,400 eV/particle 27,840 eV/particle 32,800 eV/particle 33,400 eV/particle 34,100 eV/particle 34,625.8 eV/particle 136,299.2 eV/particle 138,646 eV/particle

Heat of Vaporization	343.5 kJ/mol
Heat of Fusion	2.8 kJ/mol
Heat of Formation	345 kJ/mol
Electrons
Electron Shells	2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2

Valence Electrons	2

Electron Configuration	[Rn] 5f⁶ 7s²

Oxidation States	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Electronegativity	0.16137 1.3
Electrophilicity
Phases
Phase	Solid
Gas Phase
Boiling Point	3,501.15 K
Melting Point	913.15 K
Critical Pressure
Critical Temperature
Triple Point
Visual
Plutonium is a Silver. Pu has a CPK of #ffffff, Jmol of #006bff, and MOLCAS GV of #006bff. The Appearance of Element 94 is silvery white, tarnishing to dark gray in air.
Color	Silver #ffffff #006bff #006bff
Appearance	silvery white, tarnishing to dark gray in air
Refractive Index
Thermodynamic Properties
Thermal Conductivity
Thermal Expansion
Molar Heat Capacity
Specific Heat Capacity
Heat Capacity Ratio (Adiabatic Index)
Electrical Properties
Type	Conductor
Electrical Conductivity	0.67 MS/m
Electrical Resistivity	0.0000015 m Ω
Superconducting Point
Magnetism
Type	paramagnetic
Magnetic Susceptibility (Mass)	0.0000000317 m³/Kg
Magnetic Susceptibility (Molar)	0.000000007735 m³/mol
Magnetic Susceptibility (Volume)	0.0006282
Magnetic Ordering
Curie Point
Neel Point
Structure
The Crystal Structure of Plutonium is MCL. The lattice angles of Pu are π/2, 1.776571, π/2.
Crystal Structure	Simple Monoclinic (MCL)
Lattice Constant
Lattice Angles	π/2, 1.776571, π/2
Mechanical Properties
The Shear Modulus of Plutonium is 43 GPa. The Young Modulus of Pu is 96 GPa. The Poisson Ratio of Element 94 is 0.21. The Speed of Sound of Plutonium (Pu) is 2260 m/s.
Hardness
Bulk Modulus
Shear Modulus	43 GPa
Young Modulus	96 GPa
Poisson Ratio	0.21
Speed of Sound	2,260 m/s
Classification
The Glawe Number of Plutonium is 38. The Mendeleev Number of Pu is 24. The Pettifor Number of Element 94 is 43. The Goldschmidt Class of Plutonium (Pu) is synthetic.
Category	Actinides, Actinides
CAS Group
IUPAC Group
Glawe Number	38
Mendeleev Number	24
Pettifor Number	43
Geochemical Class
Goldschmidt Class	synthetic
Other
The Dipole Polarizability of Plutonium is 132 plus or minus 20 a₀. The Allotropes of Pu is . The Neutron Cross Section of Element 94 is 1.7. The Quantum Numbers of Plutonium (Pu) is 7F0. The Space Group of Plutonium is 11 (P121/m1).
Gas Basicity
Dipole Polarizability	132 ± 20 a₀
C6 Dispersion Coefficient
Allotropes
Neutron Cross Section	1.7
Neutron Mass Absorption
Quantum Numbers	7F0
Space Group	11 (P121/m1)

Isotopes of Plutonium

Stable Isotopes	0
Unstable Isotopes	27
Radioactive Isotopes	27

²²¹Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	221.038572 ± 0.000322 Da
Mass Number	221
G-Factor
Half Life
Spin	9/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year
Parity	+

²²¹Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	%
SF (spontaneous fission)	%

²²²Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	222.037638 ± 0.000322 Da
Mass Number	222
G-Factor	0
Half Life
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year
Parity	+

²²²Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	%
SF (spontaneous fission)	%

²²³Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	223.038777 ± 0.000322 Da
Mass Number	223
G-Factor
Half Life
Spin	9/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year
Parity	+

²²³Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	%
SF (spontaneous fission)	%

²²⁴Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	224.037875 ± 0.000322 Da
Mass Number	224
G-Factor	0
Half Life
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year
Parity	+

²²⁴Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	%
SF (spontaneous fission)	%

²²⁵Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	225.03897 ± 0.000322 Da
Mass Number	225
G-Factor
Half Life
Spin	7/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year
Parity	+

²²⁵Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	%
SF (spontaneous fission)	%

²²⁶Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	226.03825 ± 0.000215 Da
Mass Number	226
G-Factor	0
Half Life
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year
Parity	+

²²⁶Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	%
SF (spontaneous fission)	%

²²⁷Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	227.039474 ± 0.000107 Da
Mass Number	227
G-Factor
Half Life
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year
Parity	+

²²⁷Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	%

²²⁸Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	228.038763325 ± 0.000025069 Da
Mass Number	228
G-Factor	0
Half Life	2.1 ± 1.3 s
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1994
Parity	+

²²⁸Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	100%
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	%

²²⁹Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	229.040145099 ± 0.000065092 Da
Mass Number	229
G-Factor
Half Life	91 ± 26 s
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1994
Parity	+

²²⁹Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	50%
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	50%
SF (spontaneous fission)	7%

²³⁰Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	230.039648313 ± 0.000015514 Da
Mass Number	230
G-Factor	0
Half Life	105 ± 10 s
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1990
Parity	+

²³⁰Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	100%
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	%

²³¹Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	231.041125946 ± 0.000023683 Da
Mass Number	231
G-Factor
Half Life	8.6 ± 0.5 m
Spin	3/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1999
Parity	+

²³¹Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	%
α (α emission)	13%

²³²Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	232.041182133 ± 0.000018126 Da
Mass Number	232
G-Factor	0
Half Life	33.7 ± 0.5 m
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1973
Parity	+

²³²Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
ϵ (electron capture)	%
α (α emission)	20%

²³³Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	233.042997411 ± 0.000058162 Da
Mass Number	233
G-Factor
Half Life	20.9 ± 0.4 m
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1957
Parity	+

²³³Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	100%
α (α emission)	0.12%

²³⁴Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	234.043317489 ± 0.000007298 Da
Mass Number	234
G-Factor	0
Half Life	8.8 ± 0.1 h
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1949
Parity	+

²³⁴Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
ϵ (electron capture)	94%
α (α emission)	6%

²³⁵Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	235.045284609 ± 0.00002203 Da
Mass Number	235
G-Factor
Half Life	25.3 ± 0.5 m
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1957
Parity	+

²³⁵Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁺ (β⁺ decay; β⁺ = ϵ + e⁺)	99.9972%
α (α emission)	0.0028%

²³⁶Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	236.046056661 ± 0.000001942 Da
Mass Number	236
G-Factor	0
Half Life	2.858 ± 0.008 y
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1949
Parity	+

²³⁶Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	100%
SF (spontaneous fission)	1.9%
28Mg	2%
2β⁺ (double β⁺ decay)	%

²³⁷Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	237.048407888 ± 0.000001821 Da
Mass Number	237
G-Factor
Half Life	45.64 ± 0.04 d
Spin	7/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1949
Parity	-

²³⁷Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
ϵ (electron capture)	99.9958%
α (α emission)	0.0042%

²³⁸Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	238.049558175 ± 0.000001221 Da
Mass Number	238
G-Factor	0
Half Life	87.7 ± 0.1 y
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1949
Parity	+

²³⁸Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	100%
SF (spontaneous fission)	1.9%
32Si	1.4%
30Mg	6%

²³⁹Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	239.052161596 ± 0.000001194 Da
Mass Number	239
G-Factor	0.404 ± 0.008
Half Life	24.11 ± 0.03 ky
Spin	1/2
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1946
Parity	+

²³⁹Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	100%
SF (spontaneous fission)	3.1%

²⁴⁰Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	240.05381174 ± 0.000001186 Da
Mass Number	240
G-Factor	0
Half Life	6.561 ± 0.007 ky
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1949
Parity	+

²⁴⁰Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	100%
SF (spontaneous fission)	5.796%
34Si	1.3%

²⁴¹Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	241.056849651 ± 0.000001186 Da
Mass Number	241
G-Factor	-0.2712 ± 0.0056
Half Life	14.329 ± 0.029 y
Spin	5/2
Quadrupole Moment	6
Discovery Year	1949
Parity	+

²⁴¹Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%
α (α emission)	0.00245%
SF (spontaneous fission)	2.4%

²⁴²Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	242.058740979 ± 0.000001336 Da
Mass Number	242
G-Factor	0
Half Life	375 ± 2 ky
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1950
Parity	+

²⁴²Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	100%
SF (spontaneous fission)	5.51%

²⁴³Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	243.062002068 ± 0.000002728 Da
Mass Number	243
G-Factor
Half Life	4.9553 ± 0.0025 h
Spin	7/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1951
Parity	+

²⁴³Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

²⁴⁴Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	244.064204401 ± 0.000002518 Da
Mass Number	244
G-Factor	0
Half Life	81.3 ± 0.3 My
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1954
Parity	+

²⁴⁴Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
α (α emission)	99.877%
SF (spontaneous fission)	0.123%
2β⁻ (double β⁻ decay)	7.3%

²⁴⁵Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	245.067824554 ± 0.000014621 Da
Mass Number	245
G-Factor
Half Life	10.5 ± 0.1 h
Spin	9/2
Quadrupole Moment
Discovery Year	1955
Parity	-

²⁴⁵Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

²⁴⁶Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	246.070204172 ± 0.000016087 Da
Mass Number	246
G-Factor	0
Half Life	10.84 ± 0.02 d
Spin	0
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1955
Parity	+

²⁴⁶Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

²⁴⁷Pu

Abundance	Radioactive ☢️
Relative Atomic Mass	247.0743 ± 0.000215 Da
Mass Number	247
G-Factor
Half Life	2.27 ± 0.23 d
Spin	1/2
Quadrupole Moment	0
Discovery Year	1983
Parity	+

²⁴⁷Pu Decay Modes

Decay Mode	Intensity
β⁻ (β⁻ decay)	100%

History

Plutonium was first produced in 1940 by Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin M. McMillan, Joseph W. Kennedy and Arthur Wahl. Plutonium-238 was produced by deuteron bombardment of uranium-238 in the 60-inch cyclotron at the University of California, Berkeley. The Berkeley team made neptunium-238 which decayed to plutonium-238. Named after the planet Pluto

Discoverers	G.T.Seaborg, J.W.Kennedy, E.M.McMillan, A.C.Wohl
Discovery Location	United States
Discovery Year	1940
Etymology (Name Origin)	Named for the planet Pluto.
Pronunciation	ploo-TOE-ni-em (English)

Plutonium is harmful due to its radioactivity

The atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 had a plutonium core

Uses

The isotope plutonium-239 is a key fissile component in nuclear weapons, due to its ease of fission and availability. Plutonium-238 has also been used successfully to power artificial heart pacemakers, to reduce the risk of repeated surgery. Plutonium-238 mixed with beryllium is used to generate neutrons for research purposes. Used in bombs and reactors. Small quantities are used in thermo-electric generators.

Sources

Found rarely in some uranium ores. Made by bombarding uranium with neutrons.

Abundance
Abundance in Earth's crust
Abundance in Oceans
Abundance in Human Body	0 %
Abundance in Meteor	0 %
Abundance in Sun	0 %
Abundance in Universe	0 %

Nuclear Screening Constants

Plutonium on ChemicalAid

Australian Educational Vocabulary ID	scot/3558
BNCF Thesaurus ID	23908
CAB ID	7538
CAS Registry Number	7440-07-5
ChEBI ID	33388
ChemSpider ID	22382
Common Procurement Vocabulary	09342000
Cultureel Woordenboek ID	natuurkunde-scheikunde-en-sterrenkunde/plutonium
DSSTOX compound identifier	DTXCID2047646
DSSTox substance ID	DTXSID4064682
Den Store Danske ID	plutonium
ECHA Substance Infocard ID	100.028.288
Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID	science/plutonium
Encyclopædia Universalis ID	plutonium
EuroVoc ID	2429
Freebase ID	/m/026mkzy
French Vikidia ID	Plutonium
GND ID	4136381-4
Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana ID	0132875
Great Russian Encyclopedia Online ID	3146707
InChI	InChI=1S/Pu
InChIKey	OYEHPCDNVJXUIW-UHFFFAOYSA-N
KBpedia ID	Plutonium
KEGG ID	C19159
LEM ID	LEM201007253
Library of Congress authority ID	sh85103582
MeSH descriptor ID	D011005
NDL Authority ID	00569238
Namuwiki ID	플루토늄
National Library of Israel J9U ID	987007558091105171
OmegaWiki Defined Meaning	2844
OpenAlex ID	C540271850
PDB structure ID	4ZHD
PSH ID	5778
PubChem CID	23940
Quora topic ID	Plutonium
RxNorm ID	1600135
Römpp online ID	RD-16-02849
Store norske leksikon ID	plutonium
Treccani ID	plutonio
UK Archival Thesaurus ID	f2/mt225/4347/5016
UK Parliament thesaurus ID	12167
UNESCO Thesaurus ID	concept14021
UNII	53023GN24M
USGS Thesaurus ID	1539
WordNet 3.1 Synset ID	14673953-n
YSO ID	4992

Plutonium (Pu)

Properties

Isotopes of Plutonium

221Pu

221Pu Decay Modes

222Pu

222Pu Decay Modes

223Pu

223Pu Decay Modes

224Pu

224Pu Decay Modes

225Pu

225Pu Decay Modes

226Pu

226Pu Decay Modes

227Pu

227Pu Decay Modes

228Pu

228Pu Decay Modes

229Pu

229Pu Decay Modes

230Pu

230Pu Decay Modes

231Pu

231Pu Decay Modes

232Pu

232Pu Decay Modes

233Pu

233Pu Decay Modes

234Pu

234Pu Decay Modes

235Pu

235Pu Decay Modes

236Pu

236Pu Decay Modes

237Pu

237Pu Decay Modes

238Pu

238Pu Decay Modes

239Pu

239Pu Decay Modes

240Pu

240Pu Decay Modes

241Pu

241Pu Decay Modes

242Pu

242Pu Decay Modes

243Pu

243Pu Decay Modes

244Pu

244Pu Decay Modes

245Pu

245Pu Decay Modes

246Pu

246Pu Decay Modes

247Pu

247Pu Decay Modes