Back Plutonium-242 Czech Πλουτώνιο-242 Greek Plutonio 242 Spanish प्लूटोनियम-२४२ Hindi Plutonium-242 ID Plutonium-242 Dutch Plutônio-242 Portuguese Плутоний-242 Russian 钚-242 Chinese
| General | |
|---|---|
| Symbol | 242Pu |
| Names | plutonium-242, 242Pu, Pu-242 |
| Protons (Z) | 94 |
| Neutrons (N) | 148 |
| Nuclide data | |
| Half-life (t1/2) | 375000 years |
| Isotope mass | 242.059 Da |
| Decay products | 238U |
| Decay modes | |
| Decay mode | Decay energy (MeV) |
| Isotopes of plutonium Complete table of nuclides | |
Plutonium-242 (242Pu or Pu-242) is the second longest-lived isotope of plutonium, with a half-life of 375,000 years. The half-life of 242Pu is about 15 times that of 239Pu; so it is one-fifteenth as radioactive, and not one of the larger contributors to nuclear waste radioactivity. 242Pu's gamma ray emissions are also weaker than those of the other isotopes.[1]
It is not fissile (but it is fissionable by fast neutrons), and its neutron capture cross section is low.
- ^ "PLUTONIUM ISOTOPIC RESULTS OF KNOWN SAMPLES USING THE SNAP GAMMA SPECTROSCOPY ANALYSIS CODE AND THE ROBWIN SPECTRUM FITTING ROUTINE" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2013-03-15.