Pu
Actinide
Plutonium
Z 94A 244mass 244
Slow-motion stage
Plutonium-239
proton
neutron
alpha particle (2p + 2n)
Parent nucleus · 239 nucleons
94 protons (coral) and 145 neutrons (blue) are packed together and held by the strong force.
A real decay takes about 10⁻²¹ s. At ⅓× this stage stretches it across eleven seconds.
Choose a reaction
Reaction
23994Pu23592U+42He
Two protons and two neutrons leave together as one helium nucleus.
Z
9492
-2
A
239235
-4
n⁰
145143
-2
Energy released
5.25MeV
Alpha particle5.157 MeV
Mass convertedE = Δm c²0.00563 u
In joules8.40 × 10-13 J
Compared with a bonda C–C bond is 3.6 eV≈ 1,456,944 ×
Half-life of Plutonium-239
24,110 years
The alpha energy warms a plutonium fuel pellet measurably.
The particle
- Charge
- +2
- Mass
- 4 u
- Speed
- About 5% of the speed of light
- Ionising power
- Very high
- Stopped by
- Stopped by a sheet of paper or dead skin