INTRODUCTION
Plutonium is a highly, toxic, silvery, radioactive, metallic element. It is one of the transuranium (elements that is after uranium on the periodic table) in the actinide series of the periodic table. It was named after the planet Pluto
Its silvery metal, becomes slightly yellow through oxidation caused by exposure to air, and exists in six varying crystalline forms and has four different oxidation states.
BASIC INFORMATIONS
- Atomic Number
- 94
- Atomic Mass
- 244
- Ionic radius
- 1.00
- Ionization energy
- N/A
- Electronic config
- 2,8,18,32,24,8,2
- Principal Valency
- +2
- Density g/cm³
- 19.9
- Melting point °C
- 639.4
- Boiling point °C
- 3228
- Type of Element
- Metal
- Electronegativity
- N/A
- Element Category
- Actinide series
- Appearance
- Silvery solid
- Block
- f-block
- Period
- 9
- Group
- 9
- No of Isotopes
- 20
- Occurrence
- Artificially Made
- Abundance in ppm
- Nil
- Year of Discovery
- 1940
EXTRACTION
It is obtain by electrolysis of its fused salts or reducing its halides with calcium
OXIDATION STATES
+8,+7,+6,+5,+4,+3,+2,+1 (Amphoteric)
MAJOR SOURCE
It is formed from uranium fuel elements
HALF LIFE
238-Pu = 86.4 years, 239-Pu = 24000 yrs, 242-Pu = 380000 yrs, 244-Pu = 82 million yrs.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
* plutonium-239 readily undergoes fission and can be both used and produced in quantity in nuclear reactors, which makes it an economic important.
* Plutonium-238 is used to power equipment on the Moon by means of the heat it emits.
* Heat generated by plutonium is used to produce electricity with a thermopile in hearth 'pace-makers'
* It is used in making nuclear weapons.
