Plutonium-238 naturally decays to uranium-234 and then further along the radium series to lead-206. Historically, most plutonium-238 has been produced by Savannah River in their weapons reactor, by irradiating neptunium-237 (half life 2.144 Ma) with neutrons. [7]

Plutonium-238 Decay Chain. Plutonium-238 goes through decomposition to produce Uranium-234 as the daughter nuclide. At the end of this Alpha decay chain, the stable element that is produced is Lead-206. The complete decay chain is expressed in the following reaction: Plutonium-238 → Uranium-234 → Radium-226 → Radon-222 → Polonium-218 ...

Plutonium-238 is the radioisotope of the element plutonium, whose atomic nucleus has 144 neutrons in addition to the element-specific 94 protons, resulting in a mass number of 238: 238 Pu. Pu-238 is a fissile, alpha-emitting isotope that decays to …

Detailed decay information for the isotope plutonium-238 including decay chains and daughter products.

Plutonium is mostly produced in nuclear reactors. It is a product of the transmutation and subsequent nuclear decay of fertile isotope 238 U. The transmutation and decay chain is shown below: Neutron capture may also be used to create fissile 239Pu from 238U, the dominant constituent of naturally occurring uranium (99.28%).

2025年1月28日 · Plutonium-238 (238 Pu) is a radioactive isotope prone to α-decay, renowned for its efficient heat generation. Its released α-particles can be easily shielded, and its decay daughter is Uranium-234 (234 U) which is a long-lived nuclide, [1] facilitating the elimination of radiation protection issues. Equation (1) gives the decay chain of 238 Pu.

A decay chain that has reached this state, which may require billions of years, is said to be in equilibrium. A sample of radioactive material in equilibrium produces a steady and steadily decreasing quantity of radioactivity as the isotopes that compose it traverse the decay chain. ... 238 Pu ƒ: 243 Cm ƒ: 29–97 a ...

This page summarizes the basic decay properties of isotopes of plutonium. Half-lives, decay modes, products of decay. Isotopes 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244.

Recommended Nuclear Decay Data Pu-238. Decay Mode: α. Half-Life: (32030 ± 110) d

The principal mode of the nuclear decay of plutonium-238 is by alpha particle emission at a rate of 17 curies per gram. Gaum_a radiation also present in the nuclear fuel arises primarily from the nuclear de-excitation of daughter nuclei as a result of the alpha decay of plutonium-238 and reactor produced impurities.