Plutonium, a rare and highly radioactive metallic element, is mainly used in weapons and nuclear power plants. It has six allotropic forms and can be difficult to work with due to its toxicity, radioactivity, and reactivity. Plutonium poses health risks and can combust spontaneously at room temperature. It was discovered in 1940 by a team of scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and is named after the planet Pluto.
Plutonium is a metallic chemical element classified among the actinides in the periodic table of elements. This highly radioactive element is mainly used in weapons and nuclear power plants, and has become quite well known due to these uses. In nature, plutonium is relatively rare, occurring in trace uranium-rich ores; most of the world’s working supply of this element is obtained through neutron bombardment of uranium, a very close neighbor on the periodic table.
When plutonium is isolated, its appearance can vary, because it has six allotropic forms, which means that the element has six different structures under normal conditions. These forms vary in density, although they all share the basic chemical properties of toxicity, radioactivity, and reactivity with many other elements. Most forms of plutonium are silvery-gray, but oxidize to a dull yellow over time. Large enough quantities are also warm to the touch, due to the alpha particles they emit as they age.
On the periodic table of elements, plutonium is identified with the symbol Pu and the atomic number 94. Credit for the discovery of the element is usually attributed to a team of scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, who discovered it in 1940 while studying uranium properties Gleen T. Seaborg led the team, which also included Edwin McMillan, Joseph Kennedy and Arthur Wahl. Initially, the element’s discovery was kept secret, due to concerns about its potential military applications.
This element takes its name from the planet Pluto, referring to the previous elements of the periodic table, neptunium and uranium. In addition to being used in weapons and power plants, plutonium also appears in medical research and nuclear research. He can be difficult to work with, as he can exhibit strange behavior, sometimes in response to very small fluctuations in his condition.
Like other radioactive elements, plutonium poses a health risk. It can build up in the bone marrow and organs such as the liver, causing damage by emitting radiation. The element can also form compounds that will combust spontaneously at room temperature and can react alarmingly with some other elements. Because plutonium is so rare, average consumers will rarely, if ever, interact with it, and people who use the element in their jobs usually receive meticulous safety training.
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