Plutonium (Pu)
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
| Atomic Radius | 175 pm
|
|---|---|
| Molar Volume | |
| Covalent Radius | 172 pm
|
| Metallic Radius | |
| Ionic Radius | 100 pm
|
| Crystal Radius | 114 pm
|
| Van der Waals Radius |
243 pm
|
| Density | 19.7 g/cm³
|
| Energy | |
| Proton Affinity | |
| Electron Affinity | |
| Ionization Energy | 6.0258 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 |
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 | |
| Color | Silver
|
| 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 | |
| Crystal Structure | Simple Monoclinic (MCL) |
| Lattice Constant | |
| Lattice Angles | π/2, 1.776571, π/2 |
| Mechanical Properties | |
| Hardness | |
| Bulk Modulus | |
| Shear Modulus | 43 GPa
|
| Young Modulus | 96 GPa
|
| Poisson Ratio | 0.21
|
| Speed of Sound | 2,260 m/s
|
| Classification | |
| Category | Actinides, Actinides |
| CAS Group | |
| IUPAC Group | |
| Glawe Number | 38 |
| Mendeleev Number | 24 |
| Pettifor Number | 43 |
| Geochemical Class | |
| Goldschmidt Class | synthetic |
| Other | |
| Gas Basicity | |
| Dipole Polarizability | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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% |
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 %
|
