plutonium

plutonium definition - medical

plu·to·ni·um (plo͞o-tōˈnē-əm)

noun Symbol Pu
A naturally radioactive, metallic transuranic element, occurring in uranium ores or produced artificially by neutron bombardment of uranium, used in radionuclide batteries in pacemakers. Its longest-lived isotope is Pu 244 with a half-life of 77 million years. Atomic number 94.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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