What is 'plutonium'?

Answer 1

Plutonium is an element on the Periodic Table of Elements. Plutonium (pronounced /pluːˈtoʊniəm/) is a rare radioactive, metallic and toxic chemical element. It has the symbol Pu and the atomic number 94. It is a fissile element used in most modern nuclear weapons. The most significant isotope of plutonium is 239Pu, with a half-life of 24,100 years. It can be made from natural uranium. The most stable isotope is 244Pu, with a half-life of about 80 million years, long enough to be found in extremely small quantities in nature, making 244Pu the nucleon-richest atom that naturally occurs in the Earth's crust, albeit in small traces.[1]

Answer 2

Plutonium is a chemical element considered generally artificial; but recently plutonium was discovered in uranium minerals as extremely traces. Plutonium is strongly radioactive and toxic. Applications: nuclear fuel, nuclear bombs, neutron sources, isotopic heating units.