Title: Plutonium Pit Production | Department of Energy
Headings: Plutonium Pit Production
National Nuclear Security Administration Home
Plutonium Pit Production
What is plutonium?
How will NNSA address plutonium pit production?
Current and future needs for plutonium pits
Safety and security of NNSA’s plutonium inventory
The role of NEPA
History of plutonium/pit work

Content: Plutonium's placement on the periodic table
Molten plutonium
Plutonium (Pu) was discovered in 1940 by Glenn Seaborg and colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, and is a radioactive metallic element with the atomic number 94 (the number of protons in the nucleus). This reactive metal has a bright silvery-gray appearance, similar to nickel. There are various isotopes of plutonium that are “fissionable,” meaning the atom’s nucleus can easily split apart if struck by a neutron. Each isotope of plutonium has a different “half-life,” which is the time it takes for half of the atoms in a given sample to decay. Various uses have been found for plutonium as a source of energy. For example, plutonium-238 has been used to power batteries for pacemakers and to keep National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) probes operating deep into space. NNSA uses plutonium in nuclear warheads the agency supplies to the Department of Defense. Therefore, the element plays an integral role in ensuring that the U.S. nuclear stockpile remains effective. How will NNSA address plutonium pit production? NNSA is working to increase its plutonium processing and pit-manufacturing capabilities to meet requirements to produce no fewer than 80 pits per year during 2030.