The Instrumentation Center

Plutonium

pu

Contributor: John Plenefisch

"The Demon Core" was the name given to the 14 lb subcritical mass Plutonium core that directly resulted in the deaths of two physicists as they were studying the material to improve bombs after WWII.

 

About the Display:

  • Figurine of the Roman god Pluto: Pluto is the Roman counterpart for the Greek god Hades, king of the underworld, a fitting name for a dangerous and explosive element 

About the Contributor:

Back to the Periodic Table

 

<Previous element-| |-Onward to the next element!>

 

Symbol: Pu

Atomic Number: 94

Atomic Mass: 244 u

Electron Configuration: [Rn] 5f67s2 

Year Discovered: 1940

Discovered By: Glenn Seaborg and colleagues 

Last Updated: 12/11/23