What is the normal phase of plutonium?
What is the normal phase of plutonium?
solid
Plutonium is a chemical element with symbol Pu and atomic number 94. Classified as an actinide, Plutonium is a solid at room temperature.
How many solid phases does plutonium metal have at 1 atmosphere?
six allotropes
1. Plutonium has six allotropes—that is, six different crystal structures— and a seventh under pressure. 2. The energy levels of these allotropic phases are very close to each other, making plutonium extremely sensitive to changes in temperature, pressure, or chemistry.
What type of metal is plutonium?
actinide metal
Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized.
What is alpha phase plutonium?
Plutonium occurs in a variety of allotropes, even at ambient pressure….Allotropes of plutonium.
| Phase | Crystal Structure | Density (g/cm3) |
|---|---|---|
| alpha (α) | simple monoclinic | 19.86 |
| beta (β) | body-centered monoclinic | 17.70 |
| gamma (γ) | face-centered orthorhombic | 17.14 |
Is plutonium a transition metal?
Plutonium is an inner transition metal of the actinide series, located in period 7 of the periodic table, between neptunium and americium.
What is the difference between uranium and plutonium?
On the Periodic Table plutonium is two spots above uranium – uranium has an atomic number of 92 (that is, it has 92 protons) and plutonium is at 94. To make plutonium we somehow have to add two protons to a uranium atom.
What is plutonium melting point?
1,183°F (639.4°C)Plutonium / Melting point
What color is plutonium?
silvery
Plutonium is an extremely dense transuranic metal that resembles nickel when highly purified, being a shiny silvery colour, although its surface dulls rapidly due to oxidation. Sometimes, plutonium is yellow or olive green in colour.
Is uranium a transition metal?
The period 7 inner transition metals (actinides) are thorium (Th), protactinium (Pa), uranium (U), neptunium (Np), plutonium (Pu), americium (Am), curium (Cm), berkelium (Bk), californium (Cf), einsteinium (Es), fermium (Fm), mendelevium (Md), nobelium (No), and lawrencium (Lr).
Which is stronger plutonium or uranium?
Plutonium-239, the isotope found in the spent MOX fuel, is much more radioactive than the depleted Uranium-238 in the fuel. Plutonium emits alpha radiation, a highly ionizing form of radiation, rather than beta or gamma radiation.
How is uranium converted to plutonium?
The mechanism of generation of plutonium involves several stages. By capturing a neutron, uranium-238 becomes uranium-239 that rapidly changes by beta radiation into neptunium-239. This neptunium is transformed then by beta radiation, after 3 days on average, into a new nucleus: plutonium-239.