When was plutonium first discovered?
Quick Answer
Plutonium was first produced in 1940 and identified in 1941 by Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin McMillan, Joseph Kennedy, and Arthur Wahl. It was the second transuranium element discovered.
The Full Story
Plutonium was first created in late 1940 and identified in 1941 at Berkeley. The team produced it by bombarding uranium with deuterons and then confirmed the new element chemically. Glenn Seaborg’s work on plutonium was crucial to the development of the actinide concept and later periodic table structure. Plutonium became historically important during World War II because one isotope, plutonium-239, can sustain a nuclear chain reaction.
Key Facts
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"The element that reshaped chemistry and history"
Was this answer helpful?
Tap a reaction — it helps us pick what to cover next.