Can a Van de Graaff be used to convert uranium-238 into plutonium-239?

Subject: Can a Van de Graaff be used to convert uranium-238 into plutonium-239?

Date: Tue Sep 12 16:21:04 2000
Posted by Steve Hart
Grade level: School: No school entered.
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Area of science: Physics
ID: 968790064.Ph

Message:


I am trying to understand how plutonium is made and wonder if a neutrons 
fired into uranium-238 samples on a small scale (with a Van de Graaff)
would produce plutonium samples. I also wonder how much heat and 
radioactive byproduct would result from such an operation.

Re: Can a Van de Graaff be used to convert uranium-238 into plutonium-239?

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