Plutonium-241
| General | |
|---|---|
| Symbol | 241Pu |
| Names | plutonium-241 |
| Protons (Z) | 94 |
| Neutrons (N) | 147 |
| Nuclide data | |
| Natural abundance | 0 (Artificial) |
| Half-life (t1/2) | 14 years |
| Isotope mass | 241.057 Da |
| Decay products | 241Am 237U |
| Decay modes | |
| Decay mode | Decay energy (MeV) |
| β− | 0.02078(17) |
| α | 5.055(5) |
| Isotopes of plutonium Complete table of nuclides | |
Plutonium-241 (241
Pu or Pu-241) is an isotope of plutonium formed when plutonium-240 captures a neutron. Like some other plutonium isotopes (especially 239Pu), 241Pu is fissile, with a neutron absorption cross section about one-third greater than that of 239Pu, and a similar probability of fissioning on neutron absorption, around 73%. In the non-fission case, neutron capture produces plutonium-242. In general, isotopes with an odd number of neutrons are both more likely to absorb a neutron and more likely to undergo fission on neutron absorption than isotopes with an even number of neutrons.