| Pu | Plutonium | Atomic number : 94 Relative atomic mass (12C = 12.0000) : 244.0642 (Pu-244) |
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| P H Y S I C A L D A T A | |
| Group 3 actinide Density / kg m-3 : 19 840 (  ) [298 K]; 16 623 [liquid at m.p.] |
Melting point / K : 914 Boiling point / K : 3505 |
| D I S C O V E R Y | |
| Plutonium was discovered in 1940 by G.T. Seaborg, A.C. Wahl and J.W. Kennedy at Berkeley, California, USA. |
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| G E O L O G I C A L D A T A | |
| Abundances Sun (relative to H = 1 × 1012) : n.a. Earth's crust / p.p.m. : plutonium is present in minute quantities in uranium ores, and is formed when one of the emitted neutrons, from a uranium atom undergoing fission, is captured by another uranium nucleus which then undergoes beta-emission to give first neptunium, then plutonium. |
Seawater / p.p.m. : nil |
| B I O L O G I C A L D A T A | |
| Level in humans Organs: n.a., but extremely low |
Daily dietary intake : nil Total mass of element in average (70 kg) person : n.a., but extremely low |
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A portrait of plutonium is available on the Visual Elements site. Up to 200 individual items of information on this element are available in The Elements. |