
Plutonium element (Pu) is in period 7 of a periodic table. Plutonium is in the f-block and it is classified as an actinide on the periodic table.
There is a lot more information related to plutonium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.
So let’s dive right into it!
Table of contents
- Plutonium element (Information Table)
- Plutonium element in Periodic table
- Facts about Plutonium
- Properties of Plutonium
- Uses of Plutonium
Plutonium Element (Information Table)
The important data related to plutonium element is given in the table below.
Appearance of plutonium | Silvery white appearance |
Atomic number of plutonium | 94 |
Symbol of plutonium | Pu |
Atomic mass of plutonium (most stable isotope) | 244 u |
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in plutonium | Protons: 94, Neutrons: 150, Electrons: 94 |
State of plutonium (at STP) | Solid |
Period number of plutonium in periodic table | 7 |
Block of plutonium in periodic table | f-block |
Category of plutonium | Inner transition metals |
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in plutonium | 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 |
Electron configuration of plutonium | [Rn] 5f6 7s2 |
Orbital diagram of plutonium | ![]() |
Electronegativity of plutonium (on pauling scale) | 1.28 |
Atomic radius of plutonium (van der Waals radius) | 243 picometers |
Density of plutonium | 19.82 g/cm3 |
1st ionization energy of plutonium | 6.06 eV |
Main isotope of plutonium | 238Pu, 239Pu and 240Pu |
Melting point of plutonium | 912 K or 639 °C or 1183 °F |
Boiling point of plutonium | 3505 K or 3228 °C or 5842 °F |
Crystal structure of plutonium | Monoclinic |
Discovery of plutonium | By Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin McMillan, Joseph W. Kennedy and Arthur Wahl (between 1940-41) |
Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).
Plutonium element in Periodic table
The Plutonium element (Pu) has the atomic number 94 and is located in period 7. Plutonium is a metal and it is classified as an actinide group element.
H | He | ||||||||||||||||
Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||
Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||
K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr |
Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe |
Cs | Ba | La* | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn |
Fr | Ra | Ac** | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Nh | Fl | Mc | Lv | Ts | Og |
*Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | ||||
**Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr |
Facts about plutonium
Here are a few interesting facts about the plutonium element.
- Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin McMillan, Joseph W. Kennedy and Arthur Wahl discovered plutonium between the years 1940-41.
- Plutonium was named after the dwarf planet “Pluto”.
- There are around 20 isotopes of plutonium and all these isotopes of plutonium are radioactive.
- 244Pu is the longest lived isotope of plutonium and it has a half-life of 80.8 million years.
- Plutonium is naturally available from uranium ores, but this naturally available uranium is very less in quantity. So plutonium is also artificially prepared from Uranium-238.
Properties of plutonium
Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of plutonium.
Physical properties of plutonium
- Plutonium has a silvery-white appearance.
- Plutonium is not a good conductor of heat and electricity.
- Plutonium has a monoclinic crystal structure.
- Liquid plutonium is more dense as compared to solid plutonium.
- The melting point of plutonium is 912 K and its boiling point is 3505 K.
Chemical properties of plutonium
- Plutonium is a harmful and radioactive element.
- Plutonium can react with elements like carbon, nitrogen, silicon as well as halogens.
- Plutonium reacts with atmospheric oxygen and it tarnishes easily. Due to this reaction, it forms a yellow oxide layer.
- Plutonium has many oxidation states ranging from +2 to +8, but its most common oxidation states are +2, +3 and +4.
Uses of plutonium
Here are some uses of the plutonium element.
- The isotope of plutonium (239Pu) is used in nuclear weapons, because this isotope can undergo a chain reaction.
- 238Pu is used in radioisotope thermoelectric generators.
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