Compare Plutonium vs Protactinium
Comparing Plutonium (Pu) and Protactinium (Pa). Atomic numbers 94 and 91 with atomic masses 244 u and 231.036 u, classified as actinide and actinide. Below: a side-by-side comparison of their physical, atomic, electron-configuration and historical properties, including density, melting and boiling points, ionization energies, oxidation states and discovery history.
Periodic properties of the elements
| Plutonium | Protactinium | |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Pu | Pa |
| Atomic number | 94 | 91 |
| Group | 0 | 0 |
| Period | 7 | 7 |
| Block | f | f |
| Element category | Actinide | Actinide |
Physical properties
| Plutonium | Protactinium | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase at STP | Solid | Solid |
| Density | 19.816 g/cm3 | 15.37 g/cm3 |
| Atomic weight | 244 u | 231.036 u |
| Melting point | 912.5 K 639.35 °C 1182.83 °F | 1841 K 1567.85 °C 2854.13 °F |
| Boiling point | 3505 K 3231.85 °C 5849.33 °F | 4300 K 4026.85 °C 7280.33 °F |
Atomic properties
| Plutonium | Protactinium | |
|---|---|---|
| Electronegativity (Pauling Scale) | 1.28 | 1.5 |
| Electron affinity | -48.33 kJ/mol | 53.03 kJ/mol |
| Oxidation states | +2, +3, +4, +5, +6, +7, +8 (an amphoteric oxide) | +2, +3, +4, +5 (a weakly basic oxide) |
| Ionization energies |
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Electron configuration
| Plutonium | Protactinium | |
|---|---|---|
| Shorthand configuration | [Rn] 5f6 7s2 | [Rn] 5f2 6d1 7s2 |
| Full configuration | 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f6 6s2 6p6 7s2 | 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f2 6s2 6p6 6d1 7s2 |
| Electrons per shell | 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 | 2, 8, 18, 32, 20, 9, 2 |
History
| Plutonium | Protactinium | |
|---|---|---|
| Prediction | Dmitri Mendeleev | |
| Discovery | Glenn T. Seaborg, Arthur Wahl, Joseph W. Kennedy, Edwin McMillan (1940) | Oswald Helmuth Göhring, Kazimierz Fajans (1913) |
| Named by | Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner (1917) |