Title: What Is Plutonium? | NRC.gov
Headings: What is Plutonium?
What is Plutonium?
Content: What Is Plutonium? | NRC.gov
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What is Plutonium? Printable Version
Plutonium has five "common" isotopes, Pu-238, Pu-239, Pu-240, Pu-241, and Pu-242. All of the more common isotopes of plutonium are "fissionable"—which means the atom's nucleus can easily split apart if it is struck by a neutron. The various isotopes of plutonium have been used in a number of applications. Plutonium-239 contains the highest quantities of fissile material, and is notably one of the primary fuels used in nuclear weapons. Plutonium-238 has more benign applications and has been used to power batteries for some heart pacemakers, as well as provide a long-lived heat source to power NASA space missions. Like uranium, plutonium can also be used to fuel nuclear power plants, as is done in a few countries. Currently, the U.S. does not use plutonium fuel in its power reactors. Nuclear reactors that produce commercial power in the United States today create plutonium through the irradiation of uranium fuel.