What is the half-life of Plutonium-239?

Plutonium-239 has a half-life of approximately 24,000 years. The half-life is the time required for half of a sample of a radioactive substance to decay into another element or isotope. Plutonium-239 undergoes alpha decay and is used in various applications, including nuclear fuel and weapons. Understanding the half-life is crucial in fields such as nuclear chemistry, medicine, and environmental science because it helps predict how long a radioactive substance will remain hazardous.

The value of 24,000 years reflects the stability of Plutonium-239 compared to other isotopes, which have either shorter or longer half-lives. Knowledge of a substance's half-life informs safety protocols, radioactive waste management, and the behavior of isotopes in the environment over time. This understanding is particularly significant in discussions of climate change as it relates to nuclear energy and its potential impacts on the environment.