Is neptunium 239 fissile?
Np (with a half-life of 2.14×106 years) is fissionable, meaning that neptunium can be bombarded with neutrons and, as a result, create more neutrons that are free to interact with nearby material and can be used in fast neutron reactors or in nuclear weapons (Fig.
How many unpaired electrons does neptunium have?
A neptunium atom has 93 protons and 93 electrons, of which seven are valence electrons. Neptunium metal is silvery and tarnishes when exposed to air….
| Neptunium | |
|---|---|
| Block | f-block |
| Electron configuration | [Rn] 5f4 6d1 7s2 |
| Electrons per shell | 2, 8, 18, 32, 22, 9, 2 |
| Physical properties |
How is neptunium-237 made?
Abundance and Isotopes Neptunium-237 is produced in kilogram quantities from radioactive waste from power reactors. Neptunium-238 is produced from the production of plutonium-238. Isotopes: Neptunium has 20 isotopes whose half-lives are known, with mass numbers 225 to 244. Neptunium has no stable isotopes.
Is neptunium-237 fissile?
Neptunium has only been considered, not actually used, as a fissile nuclear fuel. However, neptunium-237 is used to create plutonium-238, which is then used in special energy generators that can power satellites, spacecraft and lighthouses for a long period of time.
Who discovered uranium 237?
In 1942, 237Np was synthesized in larger amounts, and its half-life was revealed to be 3 × 106 y (2.144 × 106 y, at present) by A.C. Wahl and G.T. Seaborg,12) which is very long, as Nishina and Kimura had predicted. The half-lives of both 239U and 239Np are of convenient length for activity measurements.