Title: 21 Plutonium Facts (Pu or Atomic Number 94)
Headings: Facts About Plutonium (Pu or Atomic Number 94)
Facts About Plutonium (Pu or Atomic Number 94)
Fast Facts: Plutonium
Facts About Plutonium

Content: Pu (VII) is green. Note this oxidation state is uncommon. The 2+ oxidation state also occurs in complexes. Unlike most substances, plutonium increases in density as it melts. The increase in density is about 2.5%. Near its melting point, liquid plutonium also exhibits higher-than-usual viscosity and surface tension for a metal. Plutonium is used in radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which are used to power spacecraft. The element has been used in nuclear weapons, including the Trinity test and the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. Plutonium-238 was once used to power heart pacemakers. Plutonium and its compounds are toxic and accumulate in bone marrow.