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cjheaford t1_iyj4ysx wrote

Reply to comment by RATH3SUNG0D2017 in Do we have any compounds or materials on Earth that compared to the rest of the universe is incredibly rare? by SwordArtOnlineIsGood

Plutonium is P-239. How can 238 decay into a HEAVIER atom?

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OlympusMons94 t1_iyjajjv wrote

U-238 can undergo spontaneous fission, which results in the emission of neutrons. If a U-238 nucleus absorbs a neutron, it becomes U-239, which quickly decays to Np-239, and then Pu-239.

But there are other isotopes of Plutonium besides Pu-239. This includes Pu-238, which can also occur naturally in small amounts as a result of double beta decay of U-238.

Yet another naturally occurring isotope of Plutonium is Pu-244, which has a relatively long half-life of 80.6 million years. This is produced by the r-process, and some trace amounts of this have been found in the ocean floor.

ETA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutonium#Occurrence

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cjheaford t1_iyjbmin wrote

Very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to explain!

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RATH3SUNG0D2017 t1_iyjcj4f wrote

Beta decay! A neutron emits an electron and antineutrino and becomes a proton.

Edit: If you'll entertain wikipedia as a source, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_decay

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Nieshtze t1_iys24p7 wrote

That doesn't answer his question. Beta decay does not increase mass of the parent nucleus, only increases the atomic number.

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