Pu Plutonium
Element Information, Facts, Properties, Trends, Uses, Comparison with other elements

Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with 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. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation states.
It belongs to group of the periodic table having trivial name .
Plutonium Facts
Read key information and facts about element Plutonium
Name | Plutonium |
Atomic Number | 94 |
Atomic Symbol | Pu |
Atomic Weight | 244 |
Phase | Solid |
Color | Silver |
Appearance | silvery white, tarnishing to dark gray in air |
Classification | Actinide |
Group in Periodic Table | - |
Group Name | |
Period in Periodic Table | period 7 |
Block in Periodic Table | f -block |
Electronic Configuration | [Rn] 5f6 7s2 |
Electronic Shell Structure (Electrons per shell) | 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 |
Melting Point | 913 K |
Boiling Point | 3503 K |
CAS Number | CAS7440-07-5 |
How to Locate Plutonium on Periodic Table
Periodic table is arranged by atomic number, number of protons in the nucleus which is same as number of electrons. The atomic number increases from left to right. Periodic table starts at top left ( Atomic number 1) and ends at bottom right (atomic number 118). Therefore you can directly look for atomic number 94 to find Plutonium on periodic table.
Another way to read periodic table and locate an element is by using group number (column) and period number (row). To locate Plutonium on periodic table look for cross section of group - and period 7 in the modern periodic table.
Plutonium History
The element Plutonium was discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg,Arthur C. Wahl,W. Kennedy and E.M. McMillan in year 1940 in United States. Plutonium was first isolated by in . Plutonium derived its name from Pluto, a dwarf planet in the Solar System (then considered the ninth planet).
Prepared by bombardment of uranium with deuterons. Traces were found in natural Canadian pitchblende in 1941–1942
Plutonium Presence: Abundance in Nature and Around Us
The table below shows the abundance of Plutonium in Universe, Sun, Meteorites, Earth's Crust, Oceans and Human Body.
ppb by weight (1ppb =10^-7 %) | ppb by atoms (1ppb =10^-7 %) | |
---|---|---|
Abundance in Universe | - | - |
Abundance in Sun | - | - |
Abundance in Meteorites | - | - |
Abundance in Earth's Crust | - | - |
Abundance in Oceans | - | - |
Abundance in Humans | - | - |
Crystal Structure of Plutonium
The solid state structure of Plutonium is Simple Monoclinic.
The Crystal structure can be described in terms of its unit Cell. The unit Cells repeats itself in three dimensional space to form the structure.
Unit Cell Parameters
The unit cell is represented in terms of its lattice parameters, which are the lengths of the cell edges Lattice Constants (a, b and c)
a | b | c |
---|---|---|
618.3 pm | 482.2 pm | 1096.3 pm |
and the angles between them Lattice Angles (alpha, beta and gamma).
alpha | beta | gamma |
---|---|---|
π/2 | 1.776571 | π/2 |
The positions of the atoms inside the unit cell are described by the set of atomic positions ( xi, yi, zi) measured from a reference lattice point.
The symmetry properties of the crystal are described by the concept of space groups. All possible symmetric arrangements of particles in three-dimensional space are described by the 230 space groups (219 distinct types, or 230 if chiral copies are considered distinct.
Space Group Name | P121/m1 |
Space Group Number | 11 |
Crystal Structure | Simple Monoclinic |
Number of atoms per unit cell |

The number of atoms per unit cell in a simple cubic, face-centered cubic and body-centred cubic are 1,4,2 respectively.
Plutonium Atomic and Orbital Properties
Plutonium atoms have 94 electrons and the electronic shell structure is [2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2] with Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) 7F0.
Atomic Number | 94 |
Number of Electrons (with no charge) | 94 |
Number of Protons | 94 |
Mass Number | 244 |
Number of Neutrons | 150 |
Shell structure (Electrons per energy level) | 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 |
Electron Configuration | [Rn] 5f6 7s2 |
Valence Electrons | 5f6 7s2 |
Valence (Valency) | 6 |
Main Oxidation States | 4 |
Oxidation States | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) | 7F0 |
Bohr Atomic Model of Plutonium - Electrons per energy level

n | s | p | d | f |
---|
Ground State Electronic Configuration of Plutonium - neutral Plutonium atom
Abbreviated electronic configuration of Plutonium
The ground state abbreviated electronic configuration of Neutral Plutonium atom is [Rn] 5f6 7s2. The portion of Plutonium configuration that is equivalent to the noble gas of the preceding period, is abbreviated as [Rn]. For atoms with many electrons, this notation can become lengthy and so an abbreviated notation is used. This is important as it is the Valence electrons 5f6 7s2, electrons in the outermost shell that determine the chemical properties of the element.
Unabbreviated electronic configuration of neutral Plutonium
Complete ground state electronic configuration for the Plutonium atom, Unabbreviated electronic configuration
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f6 7s2
Electrons are filled in atomic orbitals as per the order determined by the Aufbau principle, Pauli Exclusion Principle and Hund’s Rule.

Atomic Structure of Plutonium
Plutonium atomic radius is 175 pm, while it's covalent radius is - .
Atomic Radius Calculated | 175 pm (1.75 Å) |
Atomic Radius Empirical | 175 pm (1.75 Å) |
Atomic Volume | 12.29 cm3/mol |
Covalent Radius | - |
Van der Waals Radius | - |
Neutron Cross Section | 1.7 |
Neutron Mass Absorption | - |
Atomic Spectrum of Plutonium
Plutonium Chemical Properties: Plutonium Ionization Energies and electron affinity
The electron affinity of Plutonium is - .
Valence | 6 |
Electronegativity | 1.28 |
ElectronAffinity | - |
Ionization Energy of Plutonium
Refer to table below for Ionization energies of Plutonium
Ionization energy number | Enthalpy - kJ/mol |
---|---|
1st | 584.7 |
Plutonium Physical Properties
Refer to below table for Plutonium Physical Properties
Density | 19.816 g/cm3(when liquid at m.p density is $16.63 g/cm3) |
Molar Volume | 12.29 cm3/mol |
Elastic Properties
Young Modulus | 96 |
Shear Modulus | 43 GPa |
Bulk Modulus | - |
Poisson Ratio | 0.21 |
Hardness of Plutonium - Tests to Measure of Hardness of Element
Mohs Hardness | - |
Vickers Hardness | - |
Brinell Hardness | - |
Plutonium Electrical Properties
Plutonium is Conductor of electricity. Refer to table below for the Electrical properties ofPlutonium
Electrical Conductivity | 670000 S/m |
Resistivity | 0.0000015 m Ω |
Superconducting Point | - |
Plutonium Heat and Conduction Properties
Thermal Conductivity | 6 W/(m K) |
Thermal Expansion | - |
Plutonium Magnetic Properties
Magnetic Type | Paramagnetic |
Curie Point | - |
Mass Magnetic Susceptibility | 3.17e-8 m3/kg |
Molar Magnetic Susceptibility | 7.735e-9 m3/mol |
Volume Magnetic Susceptibility | 0.0006282 |
Optical Properties of Plutonium
Refractive Index | - |
Acoustic Properties of Plutonium
Speed of Sound | 2260 m/s |
Plutonium Thermal Properties - Enthalpies and thermodynamics
Refer to table below for Thermal properties of Plutonium
Melting Point | 913 K (639.85°C, 1183.73 °F) |
Boiling Point | 3503 K (3229.85°C, 5845.73 °F) |
Critical Temperature | - |
Superconducting Point | - |
Enthalpies of Plutonium
Heat of Fusion | - |
Heat of Vaporization | 325 kJ/mol |
Heat of Combustion | - |
Plutonium Isotopes - Nuclear Properties of Plutonium
Plutonium has 20 isotopes, with between 228 and 247 nucleons. Plutonium has 0 stable naturally occuring isotopes.
Isotopes of Plutonium - Naturally occurring stable Isotopes: -.
Isotope | Z | N | Isotope Mass | % Abundance | T half | Decay Mode |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
228Pu | 94 | 134 | 228 | Synthetic | ||
229Pu | 94 | 135 | 229 | Synthetic | ||
230Pu | 94 | 136 | 230 | Synthetic | ||
231Pu | 94 | 137 | 231 | Synthetic | ||
232Pu | 94 | 138 | 232 | Synthetic | ||
233Pu | 94 | 139 | 233 | Synthetic | ||
234Pu | 94 | 140 | 234 | Synthetic | ||
235Pu | 94 | 141 | 235 | Synthetic | ||
236Pu | 94 | 142 | 236 | Synthetic | ||
237Pu | 94 | 143 | 237 | Synthetic | ||
238Pu | 94 | 144 | 238 | Synthetic | ||
239Pu | 94 | 145 | 239 | Synthetic | ||
240Pu | 94 | 146 | 240 | Synthetic | ||
241Pu | 94 | 147 | 241 | Synthetic | ||
242Pu | 94 | 148 | 242 | Synthetic | ||
243Pu | 94 | 149 | 243 | Synthetic | ||
244Pu | 94 | 150 | 244 | Synthetic | 7.93×10^7 years | AlphaEmission |
245Pu | 94 | 151 | 245 | Synthetic | ||
246Pu | 94 | 152 | 246 | Synthetic | ||
247Pu | 94 | 153 | 247 | Synthetic |
Regulatory and Health - Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines
Database Search
List of unique identifiers to search the element in various chemical registry databases
Database | Identifier number |
---|---|
CAS Number - Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) | CAS7440-07-5 |
RTECS Number | - |
CID Number | CID23940 |
Gmelin Number | Gmelin40432 |
NSC Number | - |
Compare Plutonium with other elements
Compare Plutonium with all Group elements
Compare Plutonium with all Period 7 elements
Compare Plutonium with all Actinide elements
FAQs
What is the electronic configuration of Plutonium?
The electronic configuration of Plutonium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f6 7s2.
What is the abbreviated electronic configuration of Plutonium?
The abbreviated electronic configuration of Plutonium is [Rn] 5f6 7s2. To form abbreviated notation of electronic configuration, the completely filled subshells are replaced by the noble gas of the preceding period in square brackets.
What is the symbol of Plutonium?
Symbol of Plutonium is Pu. Plutonium is a chemical element with symbol Pu and atomic number 94.
What is the position of Plutonium in the Periodic Table?
Plutonium is a chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. Plutonium is the 94 element on the periodic table. It is located in group null and period 7 in the modern periodic table.
What is the atomic number of Plutonium?
The atomic number of Plutonium is 94.
What is the color of Plutonium?
Plutonium is of Silver color.
Who discovered Plutonium?
The element Plutonium was discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg,Arthur C. Wahl,W. Kennedy and E.M. McMillan in year 1940 in United States. Plutonium was first isolated by undefined in undefined.
How many valence electrons does a Plutonium atom have?
Plutonium has 6 valence electrons. Plutonium has 94 electrons out of which 6 valence electrons are present in the 5f6 7s2 outer orbitals of atom.
What is the melting Point of Plutonium?
Melting Point of Plutonium is 913 K.
What is the boiling Point of Plutonium?
Boiling Point of Plutonium is 3503 K.
What is the melting Point of Plutonium in Kelvin?
Melting Point of Plutonium in Kelvin is 913 K.
What is the boiling Point of Plutonium in Kelvin?
Boiling Point of Plutonium in Kelvin is 3503 K.
What is the electronic configuration of Plutonium 94?
The electronic configuration of Plutonium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f6 7s2.
How do you write the electron configuration for Plutonium?
The electronic configuration of Plutonium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f6 7s2.