Title: Plutonium | chemical element | Britannica
Headings: Plutonium
Plutonium
chemical element
Element Properties

Content: Plutonium and all elements of higher atomic number are radiological poisons because of their high rate of alpha emission and their specific absorption in bone marrow. The maximum amount of plutonium-239 that can be indefinitely maintained in an adult without significant injury is 0.008 microcurie (equal to 0.13 microgram [1 microgram = 10 −6 gram]). Longer-lived isotopes plutonium-242 and plutonium-244 are valuable in chemical and metallurgical research. Plutonium-238 is an alpha-emitting isotope that emits a negligible amount of gamma rays; it can be manufactured to harness its heat of radioactive decay to operate thermoelectric and thermionic devices that are small, lightweight, and long-lived (the half-life of plutonium-238 is 87.7 years). The power produced from plutonium-238 alpha decay (approximately 0.5 watt per gram) has been used to provide spacecraft electrical power (radioisotope thermoelectric generators [RTGs]) and to provide heat for batteries in spacecraft, such as in the Curiosity rover. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now
Plutonium exhibits six forms differing in crystal structure and density (allotropes); the alpha form exists at room temperature. It has the highest electrical resistivity of any metallic element (145 microhm-centimetres).