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Radiological Safety Training for Plutonium Facilities
DOEHDBK11452001
Student's Guide
C. Natural plutonium
The half-life of plutonium is so short compared to
the age of the earth that if plutonium had existed when
the earth was formed, plutonium would not exist today.
So, for all practical purposes, plutonium must be man-
made.
Remnants of a natural reactor have been
discovered in Africa, and it is believed to have
operated for millions of years. Very small traces of
plutonium have been found in uranium ore, resulting
from cosmic-ray produced neutron bombardment of
uranium.
II. Nuclides/isotopes and uses of plutonium
A. Predominant plutonium isotopes
Atoms of a specific element can exist in several
forms. The difference between the forms is the
number of neutrons in the nucleus. These forms are
called isotopes of an element. An analogy is that ice
cream can come in several flavors, but it is still ice
cream. Most elements in nature have several different
isotopes. (They have the same number of protons, but
a different number of neutrons). Plutonium has 15
isotopes.
Nuclide is a broader term than isotope and refers to
any combination of protons and neutrons that exists in
more than a transient state. An isotope is a specific
combination of protons and neutrons, which defines it
as a subset of an element; the two need to be
referenced together, such as "an isotope of plutonium."
The predominant nuclides are Pu-238, Pu-239, Pu-
240, Pu-241, and Pu-242. Each has a specific
application.
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