0
The Atomic Mass of the most common isotope of plutonium (Pu-234) is higher than the masses of the uranium natural isotopes.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What does uranium and plutonium do inside a bomb?
The critical mass of plutonium is lower, plutonium is not so expensive as highly enriched uranium, the technology to obtain plutonium is more simple than the isotopic separa-tion of uranium, etc.
How are uranium and plutonium alike?
Plutonium has the same composition as uranium, except for the fact that it contains one more neutron and one more proton. Actually Plutonium-239 has 2 more protons and 2 more neutrons than Uranium-235.
Which element is more radioactive than uranium?
polonium, radium, plutonium and many others
What is pluton made of?
A very small amount of plutonium is found in nature. The majority of it is produced artificially.The majority of plutonium is made in nuclear reactors:uranium-238 captures a neutron, becoming uranium-239uranium-239 undergoes beta decay, becoming neptunium-239 (halflife 23.5 minutes)neptunium-239 undergoes beta decay, becoming plutonium-239 (halflife 2.33 days)plutonium is then chemically separated from the remaining uranium, neptunium, etc.
What three isotopes that can undergo nuclear fission?
There are many isotopes, especially of the trans-Uranium elements which can undergo nuclear fission. The isotopes which are used in nuclear reactors are Uranium-233, Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239, because these isotopes are more readily available than other fissionable isotopes. Uranium-235 occurs naturally, Uranium-233 can be made by neutron irradiation of Thorium-232 and Plutonium-239 can be made by neutron irradiation of Uranium-238.
Why does plutonium have a less mass then uranium?
In their most stable forms, Uranium has an atomic mass of 238 and plutonium has an atomic mass of 244, plutonium has a greater mass than that of Uranium.
What does uranium and plutonium do inside a bomb?
The critical mass of plutonium is lower, plutonium is not so expensive as highly enriched uranium, the technology to obtain plutonium is more simple than the isotopic separa-tion of uranium, etc.
Is plutonium more powerful than uranium?
No, plutonium is a different element entirely.
What is the differences of plutonium and uranium?
Uranium is a natural chemical element, plutonium is an artificial element (but note that plutonium exist also naturally in the earth crust in extremely low concentrations). Uranium has the atomic number 92 and plutonium 94. The critical mass of uranium is greater than the critical mass of plutonium. The melting and boiling points of U and Pu are different. Uranium has an orthorombic crystalline structure; the structure of plutonium is monoclinic. And many other physical and chemical properties are different.
Was plutonium used in nuclear weaponry?
Yes, plutonium IS used in nuclear weaponry it is one of the two fission fuels (the other is enriched uranium) that provide the energy for the explosion. Traditionally plutonium has been the prefered fission fuel, as it is less expensive to manufacture in quantity with nuclear reactors than is enriching uranium and also has a lower critical mass than enriched uranium. However because plutonium is manufactured in reactors it is "contaminated" with heavier plutonium isotopes that have high rates of spontaneous fission and are more radioactive, making it unsuitable for a few bomb designs for which enriched uranium must be used.
Is plutonium and enriched uranium the same thing?
Plutonium and enriched uranium are different materials.Enriched uranium is uranium with a concentration of the isotope 235U greater than the natural concentration of 0,7 %.
Which is more reactive urainium or plutonium?
The Pauling electronegativity of uranium is 1,38; the Pauling electronegativity of plutonium is 1,28.So, plutonium is a bit more chemically reactive than uranium.
Is depleted uranium 40 percent more radioactive than natural uranium?
Depleted uranium is approx. 60% less radioactive than an equivalent mass of natural uranium.
What is more radioactive uranium or plutonium?
There are numerous isotopes of both plutonium and uranium ( all radioactive) thus it is not easy to say which element is more radioactive. However the half lives of the most active isotpe of each compound is follows241Pu has a half life of 14 years232U has a half life of 68.9 yearsSo in terms of activity, Plutonium is more radioactive; however uranium stays radioactive for a longer time.The specific activity of plutonium is greater than the specific activity of uranium (comparison between 239Pu and 238U).
What else other than uranium 239 is the atomic bomb made of?
Not uranium 239, but uranium 235 and plutonium 239.
How are uranium and plutonium alike?
Plutonium has the same composition as uranium, except for the fact that it contains one more neutron and one more proton. Actually Plutonium-239 has 2 more protons and 2 more neutrons than Uranium-235.
Is uranium used more in atomic bombs than plutonium?
No, plutonium is used more. Uranium can only be used in gun type nuclear weapons, which are rarely used.
