Definitions for plutonium
pluˈtoʊ ni əmplu·to·ni·um

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. plutonium, Pu, atomic number 94noun

   a solid silvery grey radioactive transuranic element whose atoms can be split when bombarded with neutrons; found in minute quantities in uranium ores but is usually synthesized in nuclear reactors; 13 isotopes are known with the most important being plutonium 239

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. plutoniumnoun

   The transuranic chemical element with atomic number 94 and symbol Pu.

2. Etymology: After Pluto (the entity formerly considered to be a planet).

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Plutonium

   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. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation states. It reacts with carbon, halogens, nitrogen, silicon, and hydrogen. When exposed to moist air, it forms oxides and hydrides that can expand the sample up to 70% in volume, which in turn flake off as a powder that is pyrophoric. It is radioactive and can accumulate in bones, which makes the handling of plutonium dangerous. Plutonium was first synthetically produced and isolated in late 1940 and early 1941, by a deuteron bombardment of uranium-238 in the 1.5-metre (60 in) cyclotron at the University of California, Berkeley. First, neptunium-238 (half-life 2.1 days) was synthesized, which subsequently beta-decayed to form the new element with atomic number 94 and atomic weight 238 (half-life 88 years). Since uranium had been named after the planet Uranus and neptunium after the planet Neptune, element 94 was named after Pluto, which at the time was considered to be a planet as well. Wartime secrecy prevented the University of California team from publishing its discovery until 1948. Plutonium is the element with the highest atomic number to occur in nature. Trace quantities arise in natural uranium-238 deposits when uranium-238 captures neutrons emitted by decay of other uranium-238 atoms. Both plutonium-239 and plutonium-241 are fissile, meaning that they can sustain a nuclear chain reaction, leading to applications in nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors. Plutonium-240 exhibits a high rate of spontaneous fission, raising the neutron flux of any sample containing it. The presence of plutonium-240 limits a plutonium sample's usability for weapons or its quality as reactor fuel, and the percentage of plutonium-240 determines its grade (weapons-grade, fuel-grade, or reactor-grade). Plutonium-238 has a half-life of 87.7 years and emits alpha particles. It is a heat source in radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which are used to power some spacecraft. Plutonium isotopes are expensive and inconvenient to separate, so particular isotopes are usually manufactured in specialized reactors. Producing plutonium in useful quantities for the first time was a major part of the Manhattan Project during World War II that developed the first atomic bombs. The Fat Man bombs used in the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945, and in the bombing of Nagasaki in August 1945, had plutonium cores. Human radiation experiments studying plutonium were conducted without informed consent, and several criticality accidents, some lethal, occurred after the war. Disposal of plutonium waste from nuclear power plants and dismantled nuclear weapons built during the Cold War is a nuclear-proliferation and environmental concern. Other sources of plutonium in the environment are fallout from numerous above-ground nuclear tests, now banned.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. plutonium

   Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is a heavy metal that is silvery in appearance, but tarnishes easily. Discovered in 1940, it is a byproduct of uranium-238 decay and also produced industrially in nuclear reactors. Plutonium has a number of isotopes, some of which are used as fuel in nuclear reactors and as a key material in the production of nuclear weapons due to its ability to undergo fission. Plutonium is a radiological hazard and one of the most dangerous substances to handle due to its harmful effects on health when ingested or inhaled.

WikidataRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Plutonium

   Plutonium is a transuranic 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 forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation states. It reacts with carbon, halogens, nitrogen, and silicon. When exposed to moist air, it forms oxides and hydrides that expand the sample up to 70% in volume, which in turn flake off as a powder that can spontaneously ignite. It is radioactive and can accumulate in the bones. These properties make the handling of plutonium dangerous. Plutonium is the heaviest primordial element by virtue of its most stable isotope, plutonium-244, whose half-life of about 80 million years is just long enough for the element to be found in trace quantities in nature. Plutonium is mostly a byproduct of nuclear reactions in reactors where some of the neutrons released by the fission process convert uranium-238 nuclei into plutonium. Both plutonium-239 and plutonium-241 are fissile, meaning that they can sustain a nuclear chain reaction, leading to applications in nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors. Plutonium-240 exhibits a high rate of spontaneous fission, raising the neutron flux of any sample containing it. The presence of plutonium-240 limits a sample's usability for weapons or reactor fuel, and determines its grade.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Plutonium

   Plutonium. A naturally radioactive element of the actinide metals series. It has the atomic symbol Pu, atomic number 94, and atomic weight 242. Plutonium is used as a nuclear fuel, to produce radioisotopes for research, in radionuclide batteries for pacemakers, and as the agent of fission in nuclear weapons.

Matched Categories

1. • Element

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce plutonium?

1. Alex

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   David

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   Daniel

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   Libby

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   Mia

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How to say plutonium in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of plutonium in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of plutonium in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of plutonium in a Sentence

1. Mycle Schneider:

   In this whole mess (at Areva) we have a huge amount of Japanese plutonium.

2. James Clapper:

   We further assess that North Korea has been operating the reactor long enough so that it could begin to recover plutonium from the reactor’s spent fuel within a matter of weeks to months.

3. Richard Nephew:

   The real problem is does this stop these countries and the companies from their work to render the Arak and Fordow facilities safer? if it causes them to stop that work and gives Iran an excuse to restart Fordow or to rebuild Arak as a plutonium-production reactor, then we will have done real damage to our nonproliferation objectives.

4. James Clapper:

   We assess that North Korea has followed through on its announcement by expanding its Yongbyon enrichment facility and restarting the plutonium production reactor, we further assess that North Korea has been operating the reactor long enough so that it could begin to recover plutonium from the reactor’s spent fuel within a matter of weeks to months.

5. Mycle Schneider:

   Giving its plutonium away and paying for it would expose the Japanese to the reality of plutonium as a liability rather than an asset.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=plutonium
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Plutonium
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutonium
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=plutonium
6. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=plutonium