94Pu[244]
Plutonium
ActinidesHeavy, radioactive metals. Most of them are made only in laboratories.
[Rn] 5f⁶ 7s²
- Atomic number
- 94
- Atomic mass
- [244]
- Protons
- 94
- Neutrons
- 150
- Electrons
- 94
- Shells
- 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2
- State at 25 °C
- Solid
- Position
- Period 7, f-block
Proton (+)Neutron (0)Electron (−)
Discovered byGlenn Seaborg, Edwin McMillan, Joseph Kennedy and Arthur Wahl, 1940Glenn T. Seaborg: 10 elementsEdwin McMillan: 2 elements
Named after Pluto, following Uranus and Neptune.
Did you know?
- A lump of plutonium-238 is warm to the touch from its own radioactivity.
- Voyager probes are still running on it after over 45 years.
Where it's found
- Made in nuclear reactors
What it's used for
- Nuclear reactor fuel
- Power for deep-space probes like Voyager and the Curiosity rover
Try it
There's no safe home experiment for Plutonium. Explore it with the animated atom above instead.