Pu - Plutonium

94
Pu
Plutonium

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

Element 94 of Periodic table is Plutonium with atomic number 94, atomic weight 244. Plutonium, symbol Pu, has a Simple Monoclinic structure and Silver color. Plutonium is a Actinide element. It is part of group null (). Know everything about Plutonium Facts, Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, Electronic configuration, Atomic and Crystal Structure.
94 Pu - Plutonium | SchoolMyKids

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 null of the periodic table having trivial name . You can also download Printable Periodic Table of Elements Flashcards for Plutonium in a PDF format.

Plutonium Facts

Read key information and facts about element Plutonium

NamePlutonium
Atomic Number94
Atomic SymbolPu
Atomic Weight244
PhaseSolid
ColorSilver
Appearancesilvery white, tarnishing to dark gray in air
ClassificationActinide
Natural OccuranceFrom decay
Group in Periodic Table-
Group Name
Period in Periodic Tableperiod 7
Block in Periodic Tablef-block
Electronic Configuration[Rn] 5f6 7s2
Electronic Shell Structure (Electrons per shell)2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2
Melting Point913 K
Boiling Point3503 K
CAS NumberCAS7440-07-5
Neighborhood Elements
123456789101112131415161718
1
1
H
Hydrogen
1.008

Atomic #

Electronic Shell #

Symbol
Name
Atomic Weight
HGas
HgLiquid
CSolid
Metals
Metalloids
NonMetals
Alkali metals
Alkali earth metals
Lanthanoids
Transition metals
Post-transition metals
Other nonmetals
Halogens
Nobel gas
Actinoids
2
He
Helium
4.003
2
3
Li
Lithium
6.941
4
Be
Beryllium
9.012
5
B
Boron
10.811
6
C
Carbon
12.011
7
N
Nitrogen
14.007
8
O
Oxygen
15.999
9
F
Fluorine
18.998
10
Ne
Neon
20.180
3
11
Na
Sodium
22.990
12
Mg
Magnesium
24.305
13
Al
Aluminium
26.982
14
Si
Silicon
28.085
15
P
Phosphorus
30.974
16
S
Sulfur
32.065
17
Cl
Chlorine
35.453
18
Ar
Argon
39.948
4
19
K
Potassium
39.098
20
Ca
Calcium
40.078
21
Sc
Scandium
44.956
22
Ti
Titanium
47.867
23
V
Vanadium
50.941
24
Cr
Chromium
51.996
25
Mn
Manganese
54.938
26
Fe
Iron
55.845
27
Co
Cobalt
58.933
28
Ni
Nickel
58.693
29
Cu
Copper
63.546
30
Zn
Zinc
65.409
31
Ga
Gallium
69.723
32
Ge
Germanium
72.640
33
As
Arsenic
74.922
34
Se
Selenium
78.960
35
Br
Bromine
79.904
36
Kr
Krypton
83.798
5
37
Rb
Rubidium
85.468
38
Sr
Strontium
87.620
39
Y
Yttrium
88.906
40
Zr
Zirconium
91.224
41
Nb
Niobium
92.906
42
Mo
Molybdenum
95.940
43
Tc
Technetium
98
44
Ru
Ruthenium
101.070
45
Rh
Rhodium
102.906
46
Pd
Palladium
106.420
47
Ag
Silver
107.868
48
Cd
Cadmium
112.411
49
In
Indium
114.818
50
Sn
Tin
118.710
51
Sb
Antimony
121.760
52
Te
Tellurium
127.600
53
I
Iodine
126.904
54
Xe
Xenon
131.293
6
55
Cs
Cesium
132.905
56
Ba
Barium
137.327
57 - 71
La - Lu
Lanthanides
72
Hf
Hafnium
178.490
73
Ta
Tantalum
180.948
74
W
Tungsten
183.840
75
Re
Rhenium
186.207
76
Os
Osmium
190.230
77
Ir
Iridium
192.217
78
Pt
Platinum
195.078
79
Au
Gold
196.967
80
Hg
Mercury
200.590
81
Tl
Thallium
204.383
82
Pb
Lead
207.200
83
Bi
Bismuth
208.980
84
Po
Polonium
209
85
At
Astatine
210
86
Rn
Radon
222
7
87
Fr
Francium
223
88
Ra
Radium
226
89 - 103
Ac - Lr
Actinides
104
Rf
Rutherfordium
261
105
Db
Dubnium
262
106
Sg
Seaborgium
266
107
Bh
Bohrium
264
108
Hs
Hassium
269
109
Mt
Meitnerium
268
110
Ds
Darmstadtium
281
111
Rg
Roentgenium
272
112
Cn
Copernicium
285
113
Nh
Nihonium
284
114
Fl
Flerovium
289
115
Mc
Moscovium
288
116
Lv
Livermorium
292
117
Ts
Tennessine
294
118
Og
Oganesson
294
Lanthanides
57
La
Lanthanum
138.905
58
Ce
Cerium
140.116
59
Pr
Praseodymium
140.908
60
Nd
Neodymium
144.240
61
Pm
Promethium
145
62
Sm
Samarium
150.360
63
Eu
Europium
151.964
64
Gd
Gadolinium
157.250
65
Tb
Terbium
158.925
66
Dy
Dysprosium
162.500
67
Ho
Holmium
164.930
68
Er
Erbium
167.259
69
Tm
Thulium
168.934
70
Yb
Ytterbium
173.040
71
Lu
Lutetium
174.967
Actinides
89
Ac
Actinium
227
90
Th
Thorium
232.038
91
Pa
Protactinium
231.036
92
U
Uranium
238.029
93
Np
Neptunium
237
94
Pu
Plutonium
244
95
Am
Americium
243
96
Cm
Curium
247
97
Bk
Berkelium
247
98
Cf
Californium
251
99
Es
Einsteinium
252
100
Fm
Fermium
257
101
Md
Mendelevium
258
102
No
Nobelium
259
103
Lr
Lawrencium
262

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).

Discovered By Glenn T. Seaborg,Arthur C. Wahl,W. Kennedy and E.M. McMillan
Discovery Date 1940 in United States
First Isolation
Isolated by

Prepared by bombardment of uranium with deuterons. Traces were found in natural Canadian pitchblende in 1941–1942

Plutonium Uses

Plutonium is used as a nuclear fuel and in nuclear weapons.

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)

abc
618.3 pm482.2 pm1096.3 pm

and the angles between them Lattice Angles (alpha, beta and gamma).

alphabetagamma
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 NameP121/m1
Space Group Number11
Crystal StructureSimple Monoclinic
Number of atoms per unit cell
94 Pu Plutonium - Crystal Structure | SchoolMyKids

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 Number94
Number of Electrons (with no charge)94
Number of Protons94
Mass Number244
Number of Neutrons150
Shell structure (Electrons per energy level)2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2
Electron Configuration[Rn] 5f6 7s2
Valence Electrons5f6 7s2
Valence (Valency)6
Main Oxidation States4
Oxidation States2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers)7F0

Bohr Atomic Model of Plutonium - Electrons per energy level

94 Pu Plutonium Electron Shell Structure | SchoolMyKids
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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.

As per the Aufbau principle the electrons will occupy the orbitals having lower energies before occupying higher energy orbitals. According to this principle, electrons are filled in the following order: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p, 6s, 4f, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5f, 6d, 7p…

The Pauli exclusion principle states that a maximum of two electrons, each having opposite spins, can fit in an orbital.

Hund's rule states that every orbital in a given subshell is singly occupied by electrons before a second electron is filled in an orbital.

Electron configuration of Plutonium

Atomic Structure of Plutonium

Plutonium atomic radius is 175 pm, while it's covalent radius is -.

Atomic Radius Calculated175 pm(1.75 Å)
Atomic Radius Empirical175 pm (1.75 Å)
Atomic Volume12.29 cm3/mol
Covalent Radius-
Van der Waals Radius-
Neutron Cross Section1.7
Neutron Mass Absorption -

Spectral Lines of Plutonium - Atomic Spectrum of Plutonium

A spectral line is a dark or bright line in an otherwise uniform and continuous spectrum, resulting from an excess or deficiency of photons in a narrow frequency range, compared with the nearby frequencies. Spectral lines are often used to identify atoms and molecules.

Spectral lines are the result of interaction between a quantum system and a single photon. A spectral line may be observed either as an emission line or an absorption line.

Spectral lines are highly atom-specific, and can be used to identify the chemical composition of any medium. Several elements, including helium, thallium, and caesium, were discovered by spectroscopic means. They are widely used to determine the physical conditions of stars and other celestial bodies that cannot be analyzed by other means.

Emission spectrum of Plutonium

Emission Spectrum of Plutonium | SchoolMyKids

Absorption spectrum of Plutonium

Absorption Spectrum of Plutonium | SchoolMyKids

Plutonium Chemical Properties: Plutonium Ionization Energies and electron affinity

The electron affinity of Plutonium is -.

Valence6
Electronegativity1.28
ElectronAffinity-

Ionization Energy of Plutonium

Ionization energy is the amount of energy required to remove an electron from an atom or molecule.in chemistry, this energy is expresed in kilocalories per mole (kcal/mol) or kilojoules per mole (kJ/mol).

Refer to table below for Ionization energies of Plutonium

Ionization energy numberEnthalpy - kJ/mol
1st584.7

Plutonium Physical Properties

Refer to below table for Plutonium Physical Properties

Density19.816 g/cm3(when liquid at m.p density is $16.63 g/cm3)
Molar Volume12.29 cm3/mol

Elastic Properties

Young Modulus96
Shear Modulus43 GPa
Bulk Modulus -
Poisson Ratio0.21

Hardness of Plutonium - Tests to Measure of Hardness of Element

Mohs Hardness-
Vickers Hardness-
Brinell Hardness-

Plutonium Electrical Properties

Electrical resistivity measures element's electrical resistance or how strongly it resists electric current.The SI unit of electrical resistivity is the ohm-metre (Ω⋅m). While Electrical conductivity is the reciprocal of electrical resistivity. It represents a element's ability to conduct electric current. The SI unit of electrical conductivity is siemens per metre (S/m).

Plutonium is a conductor of electricity. Refer to table below for the Electrical properties of Plutonium

Electrical conductors Conductor
Electrical Conductivity670000 S/m
Resistivity0.0000015 m Ω
Superconducting Point-

Plutonium Heat and Conduction Properties

Thermal Conductivity6 W/(m K)
Thermal Expansion-

Plutonium Magnetic Properties

Magnetic TypeParamagnetic
Curie Point-
Mass Magnetic Susceptibility3.17e-8 m3/kg
Molar Magnetic Susceptibility7.735e-9 m3/mol
Volume Magnetic Susceptibility0.0006282

Optical Properties of Plutonium

Refractive Index-

Acoustic Properties of Plutonium

Speed of Sound2260 m/s

Plutonium Thermal Properties - Enthalpies and thermodynamics

Refer to table below for Thermal properties of Plutonium

Melting Point913 K(639.85 °C, 1183.730 °F)
Boiling Point3503 K(3229.85 °C, 5845.730 °F)
Critical Temperature-
Superconducting Point-

Enthalpies of Plutonium

Heat of Fusion-
Heat of Vaporization325 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: -.

IsotopeZNIsotope Mass% AbundanceT halfDecay Mode
228Pu94134228Synthetic
229Pu94135229Synthetic
230Pu94136230Synthetic
231Pu94137231Synthetic
232Pu94138232Synthetic
233Pu94139233Synthetic
234Pu94140234Synthetic
235Pu94141235Synthetic
236Pu94142236Synthetic
237Pu94143237Synthetic
238Pu94144238Synthetic
239Pu94145239Synthetic
240Pu94146240Synthetic
241Pu94147241Synthetic
242Pu94148242Synthetic
243Pu94149243Synthetic
244Pu94150244Synthetic7.93×10^7 yearsAlphaEmission
245Pu94151245Synthetic
246Pu94152246Synthetic
247Pu94153247Synthetic

Regulatory and Health - Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) identifies hazard class of all dangerous elements/goods/commodities either by its class (or division) number or name. The DOT has divided these materials into nine different categories, known as Hazard Classes.

NFPA 704 is a Standard System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response. NFPA is a standard maintained by the US based National Fire Protection Association.

The health (blue), flammability (red), and reactivity (yellow) rating all use a numbering scale ranging from 0 to 4. A value of zero means that the element poses no hazard; a rating of four indicates extreme danger.

Autoignition Point-
Flashpoint-

Database Search

List of unique identifiers to search the element in various chemical registry databases

DatabaseIdentifier number
CAS Number - Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS)CAS7440-07-5
RTECS Number-
CID Number CID23940
Gmelin NumberGmelin40432
NSC Number-

Compare Plutonium with other elements

Compare Plutonium with Group , Period 7 and Actinide elements of the periodic table.

Compare Plutonium with all Group elements

Compare Plutonium with all Period 7 elements

Compare Plutonium with all Actinide elements

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Plutonium

The electronic configuration of Plutonium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f6 7s2.

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.

Symbol of Plutonium is Pu. Plutonium is a chemical element with symbol Pu and atomic number 94.

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.

The atomic number of Plutonium is 94.

Plutonium is of Silver color.

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.

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.

Melting Point of Plutonium is 913 K.

Boiling Point of Plutonium is 3503 K.

Melting Point of Plutonium in Kelvin is 913 K.

Boiling Point of Plutonium in Kelvin is 3503 K.

Melting Point of Plutonium in Celsius is 639.85 °C.

Boiling Point of Plutonium in Celsius is 3229.85 °C.

Melting Point of Plutonium in Fahrenheit is 1183.73 °F.

Boiling Point of Plutonium in Fahrenheit is 5845.73 °F.

The electronic configuration of Plutonium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f6 7s2.

The electronic configuration of Plutonium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f6 7s2.