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Plutonium-241
Isotope of plutonium
Isotope of plutonium
| Field | Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| symbol | Pu | ||
| mass_number | 241 | ||
| mass | 241.056850 | ||
| num_neutrons | 147 | ||
| num_protons | 94 | ||
| abundance | 0 (synthetic) | ||
| halflife | |||
| decay_product | Americium-241 | ||
| decay_symbol | Am | ||
| decay_mass | 241 | ||
| decay_mode1 | β− | ||
| decay_energy1 | 0.0208 | ||
| decay_mode2 | α | ||
| decay_energy2 | 5.140 | ||
| decay_product2 | Uranium-237 | decay_symbol2=U | decay_mass2=237 |
Plutonium-241 (****, Pu-241) is an isotope of plutonium formed when plutonium-240 captures a neutron. Like some other plutonium isotopes (especially 239Pu), 241Pu is fissile, with a neutron absorption cross section about one-third greater than that of 239Pu, and a similar probability of fissioning on neutron absorption, around 73%. In the non-fission case, neutron capture produces plutonium-242. In general, isotopes with an odd number of neutrons are both more likely to absorb a neutron and more likely to undergo fission on neutron absorption than isotopes with an even number of neutrons.
Decay properties
Plutonium-241 is a beta emitter with a half-life of 14.33 years, corresponding to a decay of about 5% of 241Pu nuclei over a one-year period. This decay has a Q-value of only , and does not emit gamma rays. The longer spent nuclear fuel waits before reprocessing, the more 241Pu decays to americium-241, which is nonfissile (although fissionable by fast neutrons) and an alpha emitter with a half-life of 432.6 years; 241Am, which does emit gamma rays, is a major contributor to the radioactivity of nuclear waste on a scale of hundreds to thousands of years. In its fully ionized state, the beta-decay half-life of 241Pu94+ decreases to 4.2 days, and only bound-state beta decay is possible.
Plutonium-241 also has a rare alpha decay branch to uranium-237, occurring in about 0.0025% of decays. Unlike its usual beta decay, this can emit gamma rays, X-rays, and associated electrons.
References
References
- {{AME2020 II
- {{NUBASE2020
- (1 August 2006). "Nuclear Data Sheets for A = 237". Nuclear Data Sheets.
- (1 October 1987). "Bound-state beta decay of highly ionized atoms". Physical Review C.
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