Half-life of /sup 242/Pu from precise low-temperature heat capacity measurements

Journal Article · Wed Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1976 · Phys. Rev., C; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.14.1174· OSTI ID:7175159

Osborne, D W; Flotow, H E

Heat capacity measurements on three pure compounds, PuF/sub 3/, PuF/sub 4/, and PuO/sub 2/, made from 99.91 at.% /sup 242/Pu, have been used to evaluate the power produced by radioactive decay. The mean specific power was found to be (0.12099 +- 0.00024) mW per gram of plutonium in the samples. The contribution of nuclides other than /sup 242/Pu to the power was calculated to be (5.15 +- 0.11) ..mu..W per gram of plutonium, and so the specific power of pure /sup 242/Pu is (0.115 94 +- 0.000 26) mW g/sup -1/. A correction for the (5.50 x 10/sup -4/) % spontaneous fission branching reduces the specific power due to ..cap alpha.. decay to (0.11591 +- 0.00026) mW g/sup -1/. Combining this value of the specific power with the total disintegration energy of (4.9823 +- 0.0012) MeV, we obtain (3.763 +- 0.009) x 10/sup 5/ years as the ..cap alpha.. half-life of pure /sup 242/Pu. (AIP)

• Research Organization: Chemistry Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439
• OSTI ID: 7175159
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev., C; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev., C; (United States) Vol. 14:3; ISSN PRVCA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360104 -- Metals & Alloys-- Physical Properties
652022* -- Nuclear Properties & Reactions
A=220 & above
Experimental-- Radioactive Decay-- (-1987)
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHALCOGENIDES
DECAY
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALF-LIFE
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LOW TEMPERATURE
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE
NUCLEI
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE DECAY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLUTONIUM 242
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM FLUORIDES
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
RADIOISOTOPES
SPECIFIC HEAT
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
ULTRALOW TEMPERATURE
VERY LOW TEMPERATURE
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES