General Chemistry

[PLUTONIUM]

Rosella C. Cabansag

CHM 101 #4215

Professor W. Boyle

Spring 2008

Property
Atomic symbol	Pu ( About.com: Chemistry 2008 )
Additional name(s)	Word origin : the planet, Pluto ( About.com: Chemistry 2008 )
atomic composition (most stable isotope)	Plutonium-244, half life of 82 million years. ( Gagnon 2007 )
Additional isotopes with nuclear composition and natural abundances (by %)	Nuclide 239Pu 242Pu 244Pu     Atomic Mass 239.05 242.06 244.06     Natural Abundance 0% 0% 0%     Half Life 24400 yrs 3.79x105 yrs 8.2x107 yrs ( RSC 2008 )
Molar mass	(244) or 239.13 (physical scale) ( About.com: Chemistry 2008 )
State of matter at room temperature	Solid ( Gagnon 2007 )
Color and texture	Silvery, Monoclinic ( Purdy 2005 )
Melting point	913 K (640°C or 1184°F) ( Gagnon 2007 )
Boiling point	3501 K (3228°C or 5842°F) ( Gagnon 2007 )
Density	19.84 grams per cubic centimeter ( Purdy 2005 )
Classification on the periodic table	Metal ( Purdy 2005 )
Electron configuration (full and noble gas configuration)	Full: 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6d10 4s2p6d10f14 5s2p6d10f6 6s2p6 7s2 Condensed:[Rn]5f67s2 ( Elements 2008 )
Atomic radius	159 pm ( Purdy 2005 )
First ionization energy	584.7 KJ/mol ( Elements 2008 )
Common ions (if appropriate)	Pu+3 (blue lavender), Pu+1 (yellow brown), PuO+ (pink), and PuO+2 (pink orange) ( Spectrum Laboratories 2003 )
Names and formulas of three compounds containing the element	Plutonium (III) Fluoride -- PuF3 ( Winter 2008 )
	Plutonium (III) Bromide -- PuBr3 ( Winter 2008 )
	Plutonium (III) Sulphide -- Pu2S3 ( Winter 2008 )
Other special properties	Electrical Type: Conductor Electrical Conductivity: 6.7×105S/m Resistivity: 1.5×10-6m Ω Superconducting Point: N/A ( Elements 2008 )

Plutonium

Plutonium is a radioactive man-made metal element with an atomic number of 94. It is part of a series of unstable radioactive elements that do not naturally exist on Earth because they have decayed a long time ago. The name of this element comes from the planet, Pluto. It has been called “the most complex metal” and “a physicist’s dream but an engineer’s nightmare”. Plutonium was first re-created by a nuclear chemist named Glenn T. Seaborg with the help of his colleagues Joseph W. Kennedy, Edwin M. McMillan, and Arthur C. Wahl, in the year of 1941 at the University of California in Berkeley (EPA, 2007) . However, because of wartime secrecy it was not until 1948 that they officially announced the discovery of plutonium.

The most common radioisotopes consist of plutonium-238, plutonium-239 and plutonium-240. It is created from uranium in nuclear reactors. Different isotopes of uranium create different isotopes of plutonium. The large majority of plutonium was produced for nuclear weapons in government reactors designed to obtain the most production of weapons-grade plutonium. In the years of 1944 to 1988, the United States built and operated these production reactors in government facilities (EPA, 2007) .

Plutonium is a silvery-grey metal that changes into a yellow color when exposed to the air. It is also chemically reactive and is solid under normal conditions. Plutonium-239 is used to make nuclear weapons. It endures the fission that assures the most energy and destructive potential (EPA, 2007) . Yet, some spent fuel contains this as well. However, plutonium-238 is not useful for nuclear weapons but for power sources such as satellites. It has been dispersed worldwide from atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons ever since the 1950’s. The results from these nuclear weapons tests have caused problems of low-level contamination by plutonium in soils all over the world (EPA, 2007) .

Plutonium was the most expensive material on earth. Processing it took a long time, yet it was so expensive to precipitate it. There were many gallons of leftover waste products and it is said that the legacy of the production of nuclear weapons is dealing with these high-level wastes.

Since residual plutonium from testing has been dispersed throughout the environment, everyone comes into contact with small amounts of it. Especially to those who live near nuclear weapon testing areas, they have had increased exposure to it. Not only do the residues come from the air, but also to water and soil as well. External exposure to plutonium can cause very little health risks. However, internal exposure such as inhaling can cause very high health risks. It can remain in the lungs depending on particle size and how well it dissolves. The lungs can absorb the chemical and pass them onto the bloodstream which the plutonium moves throughout the body and into the organs. Once it reaches into the organs, it stays in the body and continues to expose the surrounding tissue to radiation, increasing the risk of cancer (EPA, 2007) . Other routes in which plutonium can enter the system are through ingestion, or through open wounds.

The highest concern to the environment is the amount of plutonium in dust particles because they bring the greatest health risk. Because of this, especially to those people living near areas of nuclear testing sites this could bring great danger to the bodily system.

Table & Text References

About.com: Chemistry. 2008. Periodic Table of the Elements: Plutonium. < http://chemistry.about.com/library/blpu.htm >. Accessed 2008 Feb 27.

Elements. 2008 Feb 19. Technical Data For Plutonium. < http://periodictable.com/Elements/094/data.html >. Accessed 2008 Feb 27.

[EPA] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2007 Nov 15. Plutonium: Radiation Protection. < http://www.epa.gov/rpdweb00/radionuclides/plutonium.html >. Accessed 2008 Feb 27.

Gagnon, S. 2007 Feb 6. Jefferson Lab: Plutonium. < http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele094.html >. Accessed 2008 Feb 27.

Purdy, A. 2005 Nov 13. Plutonium. < http://home.centurytel.net/apurdy/element_91_100.htm >. Accessed 2008 Feb 27.

[RSC] Royal Society of Chemistry, Advancing the Chemical Sciences. 2008 Jan 22. Visual Elements: Plutonium. < http://www.chemsoc.org/viselements/pages/data/plutonium_data.html >. Accessed 2008 Feb 27.

Spectrum Laboratories. 2003. Chemical Fact Sheet: Plutonium. < http://www.speclab.com/elements/plutonium.htm >. Accessed 2008 March 3.

Winter, M. 2008 March 3. Web Elements. < http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Pu/comp.html >. Accessed 2008 March 2.