Plutonium,+Phinney,+Pearce

=The Power to Create and to Destroy= July 16th, 1945, 120 miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, an entourage of generals, political officials, and some of the brightest scientists of the age stood in anticipation of the event that would change the world. Atop a steel tower, at 5:30 AM a plutonium nuclear fission bomb was detonated. The explosion was equal to 20 thousand tons of TNT and left a gash in the desert 10 feet deep and 1,100 feet wide.The shockwave was felt 100 miles away. J.Robert Oppenheimer, also known as the father of the atomic bomb, quoted the Bhagavad Vita when he witnessed his creation. He was reminded of the verse," Now I am become death, a destroyer of worlds." Three weeks later, a similar plutonium nuclear fission bomb was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan. Over 75,000 died. Oppenheimer changed the world for ever. Warfare would never be the same. There would always be the threat of nuclear holocaust. The splitting of atoms and nuclear fission could mean the death of civilizations. However, few elements have proven to be effective as the destroyer of worlds. One of the few is plutonium.

Plutonium is an element that rarely occurs naturally. It was first discovered after English scientists hypothesized that a slow neutron reactor powered by uranium would produce a new element as a byproduct. In 1940 in Berkeley,California, Dr. Glenn Seaborg, Edwin McMillan, JW Kennedy, and AC Wahl synthesized plutonium by means of deuteron bombardment of uranium in cyclotron, which was a particle accelerator. Plutonium had been created. This new element was of the actinoid group and classified as metallic. It had a silvery white appearance and an approximate atomic mass of 244. Its atomic number is 94. Plutonium was the second transuranium element of the actinide series to be discovered, and would prove to be one of the most effective. With 15 radioactive isotopes, only one can be found in nature. Plutonium 244 or Pu-244, is the most stable and can be found in trace amounts in the natural world. All of the other isotopes, are unstable, and they emit particles and gamma radiation. Pu-239 has the power to create and the power to destroy. Pu-233 was used in the American Apollo lunar missions to power seismic equipment on the moon. Pu-239 is the most commonly used isotope. It has a half-life of about 20,000 years and has proven its use in nuclear energy and weaponry. One kilogram of Pu-239 can produce 22 million kilowatt hours of heat energy. On the other hand, an explosion of Pu-239 has the power equal to 20 thousand tons of chemical explosives. Plutonium has the power to create and to destroy. A third of the nuclear energy produced can be accredited to plutonium. Nuclear energy is the method of capturing the energy released from the splitting of atoms. Reactor grade plutonium is suitable to be used in nuclear energy. It is a byproduct that is created from the fuel of a nuclear reactor after it has been irradiated, or burned, for 3 years. 70 tons of it is made each year and worldwide there are 250 tons of reactor grade plutonium. As plutonium is also used in weaponry, much of what is created in reactors is diverted to military uses. Nuclear energy can be accredited for 20% of America's electrical output.

media type="custom" key="23888274" width="143" height="143" align="right" Another element suitable for nuclear fission is uranium. Uranium is a naturally occurring element so therefore is cheaper and easier to obtain. So this begs the question, why plutonium? In terms of weaponry, plutonium is far more effective than uranium. The atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki used 14 pounds of Pu-239 and yielded a 21 kiloton explosion. The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima used 140 pounds of of U-235 and yielded a 15 kilo. All plutonium can be made to explode. However, Pu-239 is the most predictable and reliable. Weapons grade Pu-239 must be purified up to 90%. It takes 10 kilograms of Pu-239 to make a nuclear warhead. Nuclear weapons operate on nuclear fission, or the splitting of atoms. In a nuclear weapon, a small mass of plutonium is fired at a larger mass of plutonium, the larger mass splits generating a chain reaction. The fission causes the release of energy and the bomb explodes emitting intense explosive energy. Only twice have nuclear weapons been used and over 200,000 were killed in result. Many more die from the radioactive fallout that occurs after a bomb has been detonated. In a contaminated area, people often endure radiation sickness which can prove to be fatal. Nuclear weapons are classified as weapons of mass destruction and and the two leading nuclear powers in the world, Russia and the USA, are disarming their nuclear arsenals. Disarmament will lead to approximately 200 tons of usable plutonium becoming available which will most likely be converted into reactor grade plutonium.ton explosion. Plutonium is far more explosive than uranium. media type="custom" key="23888334" width="186" height="186" align="right" The splitting of a plutonium atom releases more energy than an atom of uranium. Therefore it is more useful in nuclear energy and weaponry. Plutonium has often been called," the work of the devil" and "God's greatest gift." Plutonium has the power to destroy millions of lives. However, plutonium may be the future of energy. Nuclear power plants can use U-235 to create electricity. In terms of uranium, U-235 is an uncommon isotope. U-235 can be combined with U-238, which is a common isotope, to produce plutonium. Plutonium then can be used in certain reactors to generate the power needed. With fossil fuels becoming more and more scarce and the rising clamor for clean energy, the Earth's options are running out. Nuclear energy maybe dangerous and risky, it is the most efficient. With plutonium, it becomes even more efficient. Plutonium is as dangerous as it is helpful. Whomever possesses it, possesses the power to create, and the power to destroy. http://pearcephinney.edu.glogster.com/edit/plutonium/ http://pearcephinney.edu.glogster.com/plutonium1/ > [|http://prezi.com/5t5d6sgjxdju/edit/#25_13696309] Works Cited "Adopt-an-Element Resources." //Adopt-an-Element Resources//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2013. . "The Atomic Heritage Foundation." //Fat Man and Little Boy Bombs//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. . "Exchange Trip for Nuclear Industry Heads." //Nuclear Power in the USA//. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. . Harris, William, John Fuller, and Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. "How Nuclear Bombs Work." //HowStuffWorks//. HowStuffWorks, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. . "Making A Nuclear Weapon - Uranium vs Plutonium." //YouTube//. YouTube, 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. . "Nuclear Basics." //Nuclear Basics//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2013. . "PLUTONIUM AND BOMBS." //PLUTONIUM AND BOMBS//. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. . "Plutonium." //Plutonium//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2013. . "The Trinity Test." //History.com//. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. . "Uranium." //EPA//. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. . "Why Is Plutonium More Dangerous than Uranium?" //LiveScience.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. .