Plutonium information, including Technical Data, Safety Data and its high purity properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure, ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity and thermal properties are included.
 Plutonium is a Block F, Group 3, Period 7 element. The number of electrons in each of Plutonium's shells is 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 and its electronic configuration is [Rn] 5f6 7s2. In its elemental form plutonium's CAS number is 7440-07-5. The plutonium atom has a radius of 151.3.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 200.pm. Plutonium is radioactive and toxic.
Plutonium is found in some concentrated ores of uranium. Plutonium was discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin M. McMillan, J. W. Kennedy and A. C. Wahl in 1940. The element Plutonium was named after the planet Pluto.
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 plutonio |
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Plutonium Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of plutonium and each of its naturally occurring isotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope.
| Isotope |
Atomic Mass |
% Abundance on Earth |
| Pu-239 |
239.052157 |
- |
| Pu-244 |
244.064198 |
- |
Plutonium Safety Data. The safety data for plutonium metal, nanoparticles and its compounds can vary widely depending on the form. For potential hazard information, toxicity, and road, sea and air transportation limitations, such as DOT Hazard Class, DOT Number, EU Number, NFPA Health rating and RTECS Class, please see the specific material or compound referenced in the left margin. Plutonium compounds have no biological role.
Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for plutonium (the least required energy to release a single electron from the atom in it's ground state in the gas phase) is stated in the following table:
| 1st Ionization Energy |
581.44 kJ mol-1 |
| 2nd Ionization Energy |
- kJ mol-1 |
| 3rd Ionization Energy |
- kJ mol-1 |
Conductivity. As to plutonium's electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured in terms of electrical resistivity @ 20 ºC is 150 µOcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 1.3. The thermal conductivity of plutonium is 6.74 W m-1 K-1.
Thermal Properties of Plutonium. The melting point and boiling point for plutonium are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization.
| Heat of Fusion |
2.8 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Vaporization |
343.5 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Atomization |
348 kJ mol-1 |
Recent Research & Development for Plutonium
The structure of plutonium(iv) oxide as hydrolysed clusters in aqueous suspensions.
Ekberg C, Larsson K, Skarnemark G, Odegaard-Jensen A, Persson I.
Dalton Trans. 2012 Nov 23. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
23175453
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Colloid-associated plutonium transport in the vadose zone sediments at Lop Nor.
Xie J, Wang X, Lu J, Zhou X, Lin J, Li M, Xu Q, Du L, Liu Y, Zhou G.
J Environ Radioact. 2013 Feb;116:76-83. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2012.09.009. Epub 2012 Oct 24.
PMID:
23103579
[PubMed - in process]
(236)U/(238)U and (240)Pu/(239)Pu isotopic ratios in small (2 L) sea and river water samples.
Eigl R, Srncik M, Steier P, Wallner G.
J Environ Radioact. 2013 Feb;116:54-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2012.09.013. Epub 2012 Oct 24.
PMID:
23103576
[PubMed - in process]
Plutonium-238: an ideal power source for intracorporeal ventricular assist devices?
Tchantchaleishvili V, Bush BS, Swartz MF, Day SW, Massey HT.
ASAIO J. 2012 Nov;58(6):550-3. doi: 10.1097/MAT.0b013e31826a9204.
PMID:
23085941
[PubMed - in process]
An independent evaluation of plutonium body burdens in populations near Los Alamos Laboratory using human autopsy data.
Gaffney SH, Donovan EP, Shonka JJ, Le MH, Widner TE.
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2012 Oct 15. doi:pii: S1438-4639(12)00113-7. 10.1016/j.ijheh.2012.09.002. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
23078914
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Unusual Coordination for Plutonium(IV), Cerium(IV), and Zirconium(IV) in the Cationic Layered Materials [M(2)Te(4)O(11)]X(2) (M = Pu, Ce, Zr; X = Cl, Br).
Lin J, Cross JN, Diwu J, Polinski MJ, Villa EM, Albrecht-Schmitt TE.
Inorg Chem. 2012 Nov 5;51(21):11949-54. doi: 10.1021/ic301846g. Epub 2012 Oct 17.
PMID:
23075083
[PubMed - in process]
Comparison of cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of plutonium-239 alpha particles and mobile phone GSM 900 radiation in the Allium cepa test.
Pesnya DS, Romanovsky AV.
Mutat Res. 2012 Oct 8. doi:pii: S1383-5718(12)00291-4. 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2012.08.010. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
23059817
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Characterizing uranium oxide reference particles for isotopic abundances and uranium mass by single particle isotope dilution mass spectrometry.
Kraiem M, Richter S, Erdmann N, Kühn H, Hedberg M, Aregbe Y.
Anal Chim Acta. 2012 Oct 20;748:37-44. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2012.08.030. Epub 2012 Aug 23.
PMID:
23021805
[PubMed - in process]
Biological Effects of Inhaled (239)PuO(2) in Beagles.
Park JF, Watson CR, Buschbom RL, Dagle GE, Strom DJ, Weller RE.
Radiat Res. 2012 Nov;178(5):447-67. doi: 10.1667/RR2504.1. Epub 2012 Sep 21.
PMID:
22998225
[PubMed - in process]
Microdistribution and Long-term Retention of 239Pu (NO3)4 in the Respiratory Tracts of an Acutely Exposed Plutonium Worker and Experimental Beagle Dogs.
Nielsen CE, Wilson DA, Brooks AL, McCord SL, Dagle GE, James AC, Tolmachev SY, Thrall BD, Morgan WF.
Cancer Res. 2012 Nov 1;72(21):5529-36. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-12-1824. Epub 2012 Sep 7.
PMID:
22962267
[PubMed - in process]
Broadband non-selective excitation of plutonium isotopes for isotope ratio measurements in resonance ionization mass spectrometry: a theoretical study.
Sankari M.
Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2012 Oct 15;26(19):2231-40. doi: 10.1002/rcm.6342.
PMID:
22956314
[PubMed - in process]
Internal contamination by actinides after wounding: a robust rodent model for assessment of local and distant actinide retention.
Griffiths NM, Wilk JC, Abram MC, Renault D, Chau Q, Helfer N, Guichet C, Van der Meeren A.
Health Phys. 2012 Aug;103(2):187-94. doi: 10.1097/HP.0b013e31825aa202.
PMID:
22951478
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Whole-organism concentration ratios for plutonium in wildlife from past US nuclear research data.
Johansen MP, Kamboj S, Kuhne WW.
J Environ Radioact. 2012 Aug 29. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22939266
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Plutonium(IV) complexation by diglycolamide ligands--coordination chemistry insight into TODGA-based actinide separations.
Reilly SD, Gaunt AJ, Scott BL, Modolo G, Iqbal M, Verboom W, Sarsfield MJ.
Chem Commun (Camb). 2012 Oct 9;48(78):9732-4. doi: 10.1039/c2cc34967a.
PMID:
22914808
[PubMed - in process]
Uranium(IV) sulfates: investigating structural periodicity in the tetravalent actinides.
Schnaars DD, Wilson RE.
Inorg Chem. 2012 Sep 3;51(17):9481-90. doi: 10.1021/ic301291w. Epub 2012 Aug 21.
PMID:
22908990
[PubMed - in process]
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[N(n-Bu)4]2[Pu(NO3)6] and [N(n-Bu)4]2[PuCl6]: starting materials to facilitate nonaqueous plutonium(IV) chemistry.
Reilly SD, Scott BL, Gaunt AJ.
Inorg Chem. 2012 Sep 3;51(17):9165-7. doi: 10.1021/ic301518g. Epub 2012 Aug 17.
PMID:
22900742
[PubMed - in process]
Actinide Chemistry in Ionic Liquids.
Takao K, Bell TJ, Ikeda Y.
Inorg Chem. 2012 Aug 8. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22873132
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Detection of plutonium isotopes at lowest quantities using in-source resonance ionization mass spectrometry.
Raeder S, Hakimi A, Stöbener N, Trautmann N, Wendt K.
Anal Bioanal Chem. 2012 Nov;404(8):2163-72. doi: 10.1007/s00216-012-6238-6. Epub 2012 Aug 3.
PMID:
22865006
[PubMed - in process]
Update and improvement of the global krypton-85 emission inventory.
Ahlswede J, Hebel S, Ross JO, Schoetter R, Kalinowski MB.
J Environ Radioact. 2013 Jan;115:34-42. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2012.07.006. Epub 2012 Aug 2.
PMID:
22858641
[PubMed - in process]
Reevaluation of USTUR plutonium wound case 0262 using Bayesian methodology and new data.
Weber SN, Brey RR, James AC.
Health Phys. 2012 Sep;103(3):286-300. doi: 10.1097/HP.0b013e31825c17c1.
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22850234
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