 |
|
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
|
|
plutonium (Pu)
A radioactive, silvery, metallic element, occurring in uranium ores and produced artificially by neutron bombardment of uranium. Plutonium has 15 isotopes with masses ranging from 232 to 246 and half-lives from 20 minutes to 76 million years. Plutonium is a radiological poison, specifically absorbed by bone marrow, and is used, especially the highly fissionable isotope plutonium-239, as a nuclear fuel.
| atomic number | 94 |
| relative density | 19.4 |
| melting point | 639.5 °C (1,183 °F) |
| boiling point | 3,227 °C (5,841 °F) |
Plutonium was discovered in 1940 by the American researchers Seaborg, McMillan, Wahl, and Kennedy as the second transuranium element upon bombardment of uranium-238 with deuterons, thus forming Pu-238.
Related categories
• ATOMIC AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS
• INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Also on this site:
Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living
Encyclopedia of History
Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site)