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Plutonium vs Thorium


Thorium vs Plutonium


Periodic Table

Symbol
Pu   
Th   

Group Number
0   
18
0   
18

Period Number
7   
7   

Block
f block   
f block   

Element Family
Actinide   
Actinide   

CAS Number
7440075   
99+
7440326   
99+

Space Group Name
P121/m1   
P63/mmc   

Space Group Number
11.00   
13
194.00   
5

Facts

Interesting Facts
  • Plutonium metal if obtain from ores of uranium metal.
  • Plutonium metal is very sensitive to the change in atmospheric conditions like temperature and pressure.
  
  • Thorium metal is used as an alternate option over Uranium for nuclear fuel.
  • Thorium metals appearance (silvery white, soft) is somewhat similar to Lead metal.
  

Sources
Mining, Ores of metals   
Found in Minerals, Mining   

History
  
  

Who Discovered
Glenn T. Seaborg, Arthur Wahl, Joseph W. Kennedy, Edwin McMillan   
Jöns Jakob Berzelius   

Discovery
In Between 1940 1941   
In 1829   

Abundance
  
  

Abundance In Universe
Not Available   
3 * 10-4 %   
9

Abundance In Sun
~-9999 %   
~0.0004 %   
9

Abundance In Meteorites
Not Available   
0.05 %   
11

Abundance In Earth's Crust
Not Available   
0.66 %   
7

Abundance In Oceans
Not Available   
0.00 %   
15

Uses

Uses & Benefits
  • Plutonium was used in atomic bombs and still it is being used in various weapons and Ammunition industry.
  • It is also used in nuclear power plant as source of energy for space missions.
  
  • Thorium metal is used as an allying agent for Magnesium, It imparts greater strength and resistance to temperature.
  • compound of this metal Thorium oxide is used as an industrial catalyst.
  

Industrial Uses
Aerospace Industry, Ammunition Industry   
Aerospace Industry, Automobile Industry, Chemical Industry, Electrical Industry, Electronic Industry   

Medical Uses
NA   
Dentistry, Surgical Instruments Manufacturing   

Other Uses
Alloys   
Alloys, Jewellery, Sculptures, Statues   

Biological Properties
  
  

Toxicity
Toxic   
Non Toxic   

Present in Human Body
No   
Yes   

In Blood
0.00 Blood/mg dm-3   
37
0.00 Blood/mg dm-3   
33

In Bone
0.00 p.p.m.   
36
0.02 p.p.m.   
29

Physical Properties

Melting Point
639.50 °C   
99+
1,750.00 °C   
17

Boiling Point
3,235.00 °C   
24
4,790.00 °C   
8

Appearance
  
  

Physical State
Solid   
Solid   

Color
Silvery White   
Silver   

Luster
NA   
NA   

Hardness
  
  

Mohs Hardness
Not Available   
3.00   
12

Brinell Hardness
Not Available   
390.00 MPa   
29

Vickers Hardness
Not Available   
295.00 MPa   
29

Speed of Sound
2,260.00 m/s   
99+
2,490.00 m/s   
36

Optical Properties
  
  

Allotropes
No   
No   

α Allotropes
Not Available   
Not Available   

β Allotropes
Not Available   
Not Available   

γ Allotropes
Not Available   
Not Available   

Chemical Properties

Chemical Formula
Pu   
Th   

Isotopes
  
  

Known Isotopes
20   
19
28   
11

Electronegativity
  
  

Pauling Electronegativity
1.28   
33
1.30   
32

Allred Rochow Electronegativity
1.22   
26
1.11   
29

Electropositivity
  
  

Pauling Electropositivity
2.72   
21
2.70   
22

Ionization Energies
  
  

1st Energy Level
584.70 kJ/mol   
99+
587.00 kJ/mol   
99+

2nd Energy Level
1,128.00 kJ/mol   
99+
1,110.00 kJ/mol   
99+

3rd Energy Level
2,084.00 kJ/mol   
99+
1,978.00 kJ/mol   
99+

4th Energy Level
3,338.00 kJ/mol   
99+
2,780.00 kJ/mol   
99+

Electrochemical Equivalent
2.28 g/amp-hr   
22
2.16 g/amp-hr   
24

Electron Work Function
Not Available   
3.41 eV   
32

Other Chemical Properties
Corrosion, Ionization, Radioactive Isotopes, Radioactivity   
Corrosion, Ionization, Radioactive Isotopes, Radioactivity   

Atomic Properties

Atomic Number
94   
24
90   
28

Electron Configuration
[Rn] 5f6 7s2   
[Rn] 6d2 7s2   

Crystal Structure
Monoclinic (MON)   
Face Centered Cubic (FCC)   

Crystal Lattice
MON-Crystal-Structure-of-Plutonium.jpg#100   
FCC-Crystal-Structure-of-Thorium.jpg#100   

Atom
  
  

Number of Protons
94   
24
90   
28

Number of Neutrons
150   
11
142   
15

Number of Electrons
94   
24
90   
28

Radius of an Atom
  
  

Atomic Radius
159.00 pm   
28
179.80 pm   
15

Covalent Radius
187.00 pm   
20
206.00 pm   
7

Van der Waals Radius
200.00 pm   
28
237.00 pm   
15

Atomic Weight
244.00 amu   
19
232.04 amu   
23

Atomic Volume
12.32 cm3/mol   
99+
19.90 cm3/mol   
20

Adjacent Atomic Numbers
  
  

Previous Element
Neptunium
  
Actinium
  

Next Element
Americium
  

Valence Electron Potential
64.90 (-eV)   
21
59.30 (-eV)   
23

Lattice Constant
618.30 pm   
4
508.42 pm   
14

Lattice Angles
NA   
π/2, π/2, π/2   

Lattice C/A Ratio
Not Available   
Not Available   

Mechanical Properties

Density
  
  

Density At Room Temperature
19.82 g/cm3   
13
11.72 g/cm3   
32

Density When Liquid (at m.p.)
16.63 g/cm3   
8
Not Available   

Tensile Strength
Not Available   
Not Available   

Viscosity
Not Available   
Not Available   

Vapor Pressure
  
  

Vapor Pressure at 1000 K
0.00 (Pa)   
26
Not Available   

Vapor Pressure at 2000 K
2.20 (Pa)   
12
0.00 (Pa)   
22

Elasticity properties
  
  

Shear Modulus
43.00 GPa   
18
31.00 GPa   
21

Bulk Modulus
Not Available   
54.00 GPa   
22

Young's Modulus
96.00 GPa   
21
79.00 GPa   
24

Poisson Ratio
0.21   
32
0.27   
20

Other Mechanical Properties
Ductile, Malleable   
Ductile   

Magnetic Properties

Magnetic Characteristics
  
  

Specific Gravity
19.84   
7
11.70   
23

Magnetic Ordering
Paramagnetic   
Paramagnetic   

Electrical Properties
  
  

Electrical Property
Poor Conductor   
Superconductor   

Resistivity
1.46 nΩ·m   
99+
157.00 nΩ·m   
22

Electrical Conductivity
0.01 106/cm Ω   
99+
0.07 106/cm Ω   
31

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat
0.13 J/(kg K)   
39
0.12 J/(kg K)   
40

Molar Heat Capacity
35.50 J/mol·K   
3
26.23 J/mol·K   
30

Thermal Conductivity
6.74 W/m·K   
99+
54.00 W/m·K   
28

Critical Temperature
Not Available   
Not Available   

Thermal Expansion
46.70 µm/(m·K)   
6
11.00 µm/(m·K)   
36

Enthalpy
  
  

Enthalpy of Vaporization
344.00 kJ/mol   
25
429.00 kJ/mol   
15

Enthalpy of Fusion
2.82 kJ/mol   
99+
15.48 kJ/mol   
19

Enthalpy of Atomization
360.00 kJ/mol   
26
468.60 kJ/mol   
15

Standard Molar Entropy
Not Available   
27.30 J/mol.K   
99+

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