![]() Seaborg did not feel he had a reputation to lose, and by this time he had stumbled upon a real bombshell, literally speaking. A year earlier colleagues had warned Seaborg that he could lose his reputation for even experimenting with such an exotic concept. By February 23, 1941, they chemically identified and confirmed element 94, which by then took on the name plutonium. Pluto, of course, was the next celestial body in line. McMillan named the first element neptunium after Neptune. So it basically decayed to form a new, heavier element with an atomic number of 94 which had a much greater half-life. In doing so they created or synthesized neptunium-238, but it decayed with beta emissions which had a half-life of a little over two days. Based at the University of California, Berkeley Radiation Laboratory, that team bombarded uranium-238 with deuteron. They were using Ernest Lawrence’s new invention, the cyclotron. It was however not until December 14, 1940, that this substance was first isolated by Glenn Seaborg, Joseph Kennedy, Edwin McMillan, and Arthur Wahl. Known originally only as element 94, Enrico Fermi at the University of Rome had theorized of such a material as early as 1934. This is an appropriate title for one of the world’s most mysterious man-made elements. The earlier Greeks used the term Plouton and earlier than that, Hades-as god of the underworld of exotic metals. Pluto served as a giver of gold and silver from the subterranean world of mysterious metals. Plutonium was named after the planet Pluto which derived its name from the mythical Roman god of the underworld. One key part of that context is an understanding of the strange man-made element plutonium and its derivative natural mother element, uranium. Explaining and then understanding this important Stockpile Stewardship work requires a certain amount of background on a number of subjects. Doing that requires vast resources and expertise. Yet, it is an extremely important exhibit to complete because our aging nuclear stockpile needs to be able to be continually evaluated-assuring it is safe, secure and reliable. This is a challenging task for many reasons. The Smithsonian-affiliated National Atomic Testing Museum continues to look to ways to further develop its ongoing exhibit on Stockpile Stewardship. “Using lessons of the past to better understand the present.” Plutonium The Smithsonian Affiliated National Atomic Testing Museum In each newsletter, my Spot On column will highlight history and happenings in the nuclear world and at the museum. We never take a political stance on any issue rather, we do strive to keep you informed. It is our mission at the National Atomic Testing Museum to document the history of and current events in nuclear testing.
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