Properties of Plutonium

amu Half-life Type Effective MeV Fraction of decays (n, 7) Fission per fission 

The radioactive decay properties of the plutonium isotopes that appear in irradiated reactor fuel are listed in Table 9.14. All but Pu and Pu are alpha emitters. Because it penetrates matter only weakly, alpha radiation is stopped by the outer layer of dead skin and is not a hazard outside the body. However, plutonium is very effective biologically when deposited in or on living tissue, particularly if by inhalation or by contaminated injuries. Pu is a relatively short-lived (13.2-year 

Nuclide Half-life Ci/g Decay Energy, MeV Yield, %+ 

Persotmel working with plutonium must be protected by light shielding. The external radiation to be shielded includes ganunas from alpha and beta decay, internal conversion x-rays, ganunas, and neutrons from spontaneous fission, and neutrons from (a, n) reactions in materials of low atomic number. Neutron yields for various types and forms of plutonium are listed in Table 9.15. 

Kilogram quantities of plutonium are fabricated in shielded glove-box facilities [VI]. A 

---

Table 6. Phase Relationships and Crystallographic Properties of Plutonium Metal ...

The chemistry of plutonium is unique in the periodic table. This theme is exemplified throughout much of the research work that is described in this volume. Many of the properties of plutonium cannot be estimated accurately based on experiments with lighter elements, such as uranium and neptunium. Because massive amounts of plutonium have been and are being produced throughout the world, the need to define precisely its chemical and physical properties and to predict its chemical behavior under widely varying conditions will persist. In addition to these needs, there is an intrinsic fundamental interest in an element with so many unusual properties and with so many different oxidation states, each with its own chemistry. 

Investigations of the chemical properties of plutonium have continued in many laboratories throughout the world as it has become available. This has led to the situation where the chemistry of this relative newcomer is as well understood as is that of most of the well-studied elements. The four oxidation states of plutonium—III, IV, V, and VI—lead to a chemistry which is as complex as that of any other element. It is unique among the elements in that these four oxidation states can all exist simultaneously in aqueous solution at appreciable concentration. As a metal, also, its properties are unique. Metallic plutonium has six allotropic forms, in the temperature range from room temperature to its melting point (640 C), and some of these have properties not found in any other known metal. 

Natural colloid particles in aqueous systems, such as clay particles, silica, etc. may serve as carriers of ionic species that are being sorbed on the particulates (pseudocolloids). It seems evident that the formation and transport properties of plutonium pseudocolloids can not yet be described in quantitative terms or be well predicted. This is an important area for further studies, since the pseudocolloidal transport might be the dominating plutonium migration mechanism in many environmental waters. 

Oetting, F. L. "The Chemical Thermodynamic Properties of Plutonium Compounds", Chemical Reviews, 67, 261 (1967). 

The majority of literature concerning the electrochemical behavior of plutonium is focused on results obtained in acidic aqueous or molten salts solutions. Several reviews have appeared on the redox properties of plutonium in... 

Chemical and Physical Properties of Plutonium in Aqueous Solution... 

Brunstad, A. Polymerization and precipitation of pluto-nium(IV) in nitric acid, Ind. Eng. Chem., 51, 38 (1959). Lindenbaum, A., and Westfall, W., Colloidal properties of plutonium in dilute aqueous solution, Int. J. Appl. Radiat. Isotop., U, 545 (1965). 

Properties of Plutonium. As nuclear power utilization with its associated reprocessing and waste disposal operations expands, the fate of any released plutonium assumes greater importance. However, there is another rationale for studying the environmental behavior of plutonium. Because of its solution chemistry, it is an element with rather unique qualities as a probe of environmental properties. 

II. International Atomic Energy Agency The Plutonium-Oxygen and Uranium-Plutonium-Oxygen Systems A Thermochemical Assessment, Report of a Panel on Thermodynamic Properties of Plutonium Oxides, Vienna, Oct. 1966, Tech. Rept. Series No. 79, Vieima, 1967. 

Oetting, F., Chem. Rev., 1967, 67, 261 (thermodynamic properties of plutonium compounds). 

A. It can be divided into smaller particles that retain all the properties of plutonium. 

---