Element 94 · Actinide
Plutonium
Plutonium powers some space probes and (in nuclear weapons applications) is among the most strictly controlled materials on Earth.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
Pu
ATOMIC NO.
94
ATOMIC WEIGHT
244
CATEGORY
Actinide
PERIOD
Period 7
GROUP
Group 3
Historical Uses
Plutonium was synthesised in December 1940 by Glenn Seaborg, Edwin McMillan, Joseph Kennedy, and Arthur Wahl at the University of California, Berkeley. Named after Pluto (then a planet), following the pattern of uranium (Uranus) and neptunium (Neptune). Plutonium became the centre of the Manhattan Project — plutonium-239 is fissile and was used in the Trinity test bomb (July 1945) and the “Fat Man” bomb dropped on Nagasaki. The Cold War arms race produced tens of thousands of plutonium-based warheads.
Overview
Plutonium is element 94, produced from uranium-238 in nuclear reactors. Pu-239 is the primary fissile material for nuclear weapons; Pu-238 powers radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) in deep-space probes including Voyager and the Mars Curiosity rover.
Current Uses
Nuclear weapons. Mixed oxide (MOX) reactor fuel. Pu-238 RTGs for spacecraft.
Not Commercially Viable for Scrap
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Plutonium:
Among the most strictly controlled materials on Earth. Handled exclusively under nuclear safeguards. No scrap market.
Price Context
No commercial scrap market. Plutonium is one of the most strictly controlled substances on Earth under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, IAEA safeguards, and UK nuclear security legislation. Any plutonium found outside a licensed facility would constitute a major nuclear security incident.