Plutonium-241

Plutonium-241 (²⁴¹
Pu, Pu-241) is an isotope of plutonium formed when plutonium-240 captures a neutron. Like some other plutonium isotopes (especially ²³⁹Pu), ²⁴¹Pu is fissile, with a neutron absorption cross section about one-third greater than that of ²³⁹Pu, and a similar probability of fissioning on neutron absorption, around 73%. In the non-fission case, neutron capture produces plutonium-242. In general, isotopes with an odd number of neutrons are both more likely to absorb a neutron and more likely to undergo fission on neutron absorption than isotopes with an even number of neutrons.

Plutonium-241

General
Symbol	^241Pu
Names	plutonium-241
Protons (Z)	94
Neutrons (N)	147
Nuclide data
Natural abundance	0 (synthetic)
Half-life (t1/2)	14.33 years
Isotope mass	241.056850 Da
Decay products	^241Am ^237U
Decay modes
Decay mode	Decay energy (MeV)
β−	0.0208
α	5.140
Isotopes of plutonium Complete table of nuclides

Decay properties

Plutonium-241 is a beta emitter with a half-life of 14.33 years, corresponding to a decay of about 5% of ²⁴¹Pu nuclei over a one-year period. This decay has a Q-value of only 20.8 keV, and does not emit gamma rays. The longer spent nuclear fuel waits before reprocessing, the more ²⁴¹Pu decays to americium-241, which is nonfissile (although fissionable by fast neutrons) and an alpha emitter with a half-life of 432.6 years; ²⁴¹Am, which does emit gamma rays, is a major contributor to the radioactivity of nuclear waste on a scale of hundreds to thousands of years.^{[citation needed]} In its fully ionized state, the beta-decay half-life of ²⁴¹Pu⁹⁴⁺ decreases to 4.2 days, and only bound-state beta decay is possible.

Plutonium-241 also has a rare alpha decay branch to uranium-237, occurring in about 0.0025% of decays. Unlike its usual beta decay, this can emit gamma rays, X-rays, and associated electrons.

Actinides and fission products by half-life v t e
Actinides by decay chain				Half-life range (a)	Fission products of ^235U by yield
4n (Thorium)	4n + 1 (Neptunium)	4n + 2 (Radium)	4n + 3 (Actinium)		4.5–7%	0.04–1.25%	<0.001%
^228Ra^№				4–6 a		^155Eu^þ
^248Bk				> 9 a
^244Cm^ƒ	^241Pu^ƒ	^250Cf	^227Ac^№	10–29 a	^90Sr	^85Kr	^113mCd^þ
^232U^ƒ		^238Pu^ƒ	^243Cm^ƒ	29–97 a	^137Cs	^151Sm^þ	^121mSn
	^249Cf^ƒ	^242mAm^ƒ		141–351 a	No fission products have a half-life in the range of 100 a–210 ka ...
	^241Am^ƒ		^251Cf^ƒ	430–900 a
		^226Ra^№	^247Bk	1.3–1.6 ka
^240Pu	^229Th	^246Cm^ƒ	^243Am^ƒ	4.7–7.4 ka
	^245Cm^ƒ	^250Cm		8.3–8.5 ka
			^239Pu^ƒ	24.1 ka
		^230Th^№	^231Pa^№	32–76 ka
^236Np^ƒ	^233U^ƒ	^234U^№		150–250 ka	^99Tc^₡	^126Sn
^248Cm		^242Pu		327–375 ka		^79Se^₡
				1.33 Ma	^135Cs^₡
	^237Np^ƒ			1.61–6.5 Ma	^93Zr	^107Pd
^236U			^247Cm^ƒ	15–24 Ma		^129I^₡
^244Pu				80 Ma	... nor beyond 15.7 Ma
^232Th^№		^238U^№	^235U^ƒ№	0.7–14.1 Ga
₡,  has thermal neutron capture cross section in the range of 8–50 barns ƒ,  fissile №,  primarily a naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) þ,  neutron poison (thermal neutron capture cross section greater than 3k barns)