Plutonium

Atomic number

94

Atomic mass (u)

244.06420

Category

Actinide

Standard state

Solid

Melting point

639.85 °C (913 K)

Boiling point

3227.85 °C (3501 K)

Density (g/cm³)

19.84

Electronegativity (Pauling)

1.28

Electron configuration

[Rn]7s2 5f6

Oxidation states

+6, +5, +4, +3

Atomic radius (pm)

243

First ionization energy (eV)

6.06

Discovery & recognition

Discovery year / period (PubChem)

1940

Discovery credited to (RSC)

Glenn Seaborg and colleagues

Date or period recorded by RSC

1940

Discovery place

Berkeley, California, United States

An ancient date does not identify a first human discovery. Different references may date observation, isolation and formal recognition differently.

Natural occurrence & production

This transuranium element is primarily produced through nuclear reactions in reactors or particle accelerators. Some transuranium elements also occur naturally in extremely small traces; that is different from a mineable deposit.

“The greatest source of plutonium is the irradiation of uranium in nuclear reactors.”

Royal Society of Chemistry · occurrence excerpt ↗

Continue the research

Reference values are not product specifications. Blank values have not been estimated. For superheavy elements, some properties and family assignments are theoretical or incompletely measured.