Plutonium is a radioactive actinide.
Uses and research
Different isotopes have different specialized nuclear uses.
Learning from radioactive elements
The actinides form the lower detached row. None has a stable isotope. Isotopes have the same proton count but different neutron counts. Some actinides occur in natural minerals; others are available only in tiny research samples. When discussing uses or behavior, the particular isotope can matter.
What the atomic number tells us
Plutonium has atomic number 94. This is the number of protons in its nucleus. A neutral atom also has 94 electrons. Losing or gaining electrons makes an ion; it does not change the element unless the proton count changes.
The model's rings help count electrons by shell. They are not actual circular paths. A model of one atom and the properties of a whole material are different levels of description.
Temperature and state
25°C: Data not included
Illustrative particle motion: sizes, distances and speeds are not to scale. Particles represent atoms or molecules.
← CoolHeat →
Temperature data is not included in this guide.
Pure element at 1 atmosphere. Image conditions are explained in captions. Pictures do not change with temperature.
References & image credits
Photo: Los Alamos National Laboratory · LANL attribution permission
Resized and converted to WebP; image content unchanged.
Unless otherwise indicated, this information has been authored by an employee or employees of the Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS), operator of the Los Alamos National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The U.S. Government has rights to use, reproduce, and distribute this information. The public may copy and use this information without charge, provided that this Notice and any statement of authorship are reproduced on all copies. Neither the Government nor LANS makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any liability or responsibility for the use of this information.
