Plutonium Facts

Did you know that plutonium gives off enough energy via alpha decay to be warm to the touch? In fact, larger pieces of plutonium give off sufficient heat to boil water. I bet you knew plutonium is used to make nuclear weapons and for generating nuclear power, but did you know that plutonium is more likely to reach criticality in a liquid than as a solid? These facts and more can be found in the periodic table entry for plutonium.