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PLUTONIUM
Introduction Transuranic radioactive chemical
element Symbol Pu
Atomic Number 94
It is an actinide Appearance silvery-
gray
A byproduct of nuclear fission in reactors where some of the neutrons released by the fission process convert uranium-238 nuclei into plutonium.
Plutonium-239 and plutonium-241 are both fissile, (meaning the nuclei of their atoms can split when bombarded by thermal neutrons, releasing energy, gamma radiation and more neutrons.)
Cont.. Discovery: 1940 Dr.Glenn T.Seaborg, Edwin.M McMillan,
J. W.kennedy, and A.C.Wahl University of California Berkeley Name Origin: After the planet Pluto
Crystal Structure: Monoclinic
Pu Isotopes & Half Lives
Pu-236 2.87 yrs Pu-237 45.2 days Pu-238 87.7 years Pu-239 24100.0 years Pu-240 6560.0 years Pu-241 14.4 years Pu-242 375000.0 years Pu-243 4.95 hours (Min.) Pu-244 8.0E7 years (Max.) Pu-245 10.5 hours Pu-246 10.85 days
Production during the Manhattan Project
During World War II the U.S. government established the Manhattan Project, which was tasked with developing an atomic bomb
The first production reactor that made plutonium-239 was the X-10 Graphite Reactor. It went online in 1943
The original Gun Type plutonium weapon, code-named “Thin Man",
Soon changed to the more complicated implosion device, code-named “Fat Man."
Applications Explosives Plutonium-239 fissile component in Nuclear Weapons ,
due to its ease of fission.
The “Fat Man"–type plutonium bombs produced during the Manhattan Project used plutonium to obtain efficiency.
Thus only 6.2 kg of plutonium was needed for an explosive yields equivalent to 20 kilotons of TNT.
Hypothetically, as little as 4 kg of plutonium (and maybe even less) could be used to make a single atomic bomb using very sophisticated assembly designs.
Power and heat source The isotope Plutonium-238 has a half-life of 87.74 years.
Emits a large amount of thermal Energy with low levels of both gamma rays/particles .
One Kilogram of the isotope can generate about 570 watts of heat.
These characteristics make it well-suited for electrical power generation.
Used in Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators
Precautions
Toxicity Isotopes and compounds of
plutonium are accumulate in Bone marrow.
Plutonium is more dangerous when inhaled than when ingested.
The risk of Lung Cancer increases radiation dose inhaled plutonium exceeds 400 mSv.
Flammability Metallic plutonium is a fire hazard,
especially if the material is finely divided.
In a moist environment, plutonium forms hydrides on its surface, which may ignite in air at room temperature.
