Plutonium-240
Plutonium-240 (240
Pu
or Pu-240) is an isotope of plutonium formed when plutonium-239 captures a neutron. The detection of its spontaneous fission led to its discovery in 1944 at Los Alamos and had important consequences for the Manhattan Project.
| General | |
|---|---|
| Symbol | 240Pu |
| Names | plutonium-240, 240Pu, Pu-240 |
| Protons (Z) | 94 |
| Neutrons (N) | 146 |
| Nuclide data | |
| Natural abundance | Trace |
| Half-life (t1/2) | 6561(7) years |
| Isotope mass | 240.0538135(20) Da |
| Decay modes | |
| Decay mode | Decay energy (MeV) |
| Alpha decay | 5.25575(14) |
| Isotopes of plutonium Complete table of nuclides | |
240Pu undergoes spontaneous fission as a secondary decay mode at a small but significant rate. The presence of 240Pu limits plutonium's use in a nuclear bomb, because the neutron flux from spontaneous fission initiates the chain reaction prematurely, causing an early release of energy that physically disperses the core before full implosion is reached. It decays by alpha emission to uranium-236.
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