Plutonium

:This article is about the element. See also Archimedes Plutonium (internet user).

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Plutonium is a radioactive, metallic, chemical element. It has the symbol Pu and the atomic number 94. Its atomic weight is 244.06, its density 19,816 kg/m³. It is the element used in most modern nuclear weapons. The most important, albeit not most stable, isotope of plutonium is 239Pu, with a half-life of 24,110 years.

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Plutonium is silvery in pure form, but has a yellow tarnish when oxidized.

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Peculiarly, the metal goes through phases of contraction as its temperature is increased.

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The heat given off by alpha particle emission makes plutonium warm to the touch in reasonable quantities; larger amounts can boil water. It displays four ionic oxidation states in aqueous solution:

Radioactive: Articles related to the term 'radioactive' include:...

Metal: :For alternative meanings see metal (disambiguation)....

Chemical element: A chemical element, often called simply element, is the class of atoms which contain the same number of protons....