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Pastimes : The Case for Nuclear Energy

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To: CVJ who wrote (67)	4/2/2001 8:19:34 AM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) of 312

Here's some info I found on how Pu-239 is created: The isotope Pu-239 was produced on March 28, 1941 by bombarding a U-238 target with neutrons to produce U-239 (half-life of 23.5 minutes). This radionuclide decayed by beta emission to Np-239 (half-life of 2.12 days), which subsequently decayed by beta emission to Pu-239 (which has a very long half-life of 24,600 years). Plutonium is produced in nature through the reasonably well-understood process discussed above. Uranium is a naturally occurring element that is ubiquitous in the Earth's crust. The isotopes of uranium decay primarily by alpha-particle emission, but there is also a process called "spontaneous fission" that occasionally competes with alpha decay. In spontaneous fission, the nucleus splits ("fissions") and additional neutrons are released. There is a possibility that these released neutrons are absorbed (captured) by another U-238 nucleus. If this occurs, it triggers a process that produces Pu-239 in a manner similar to that discussed above. Thus, we have plutonium produced naturally in the environment (admittedly in trace quantities). This reaction has been going on since the creation of the Earth. sciam.com

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