Elements · ← Np Neptunium · Am Americium →
Plutonium has no biological role but is strongly retained in the body.
| Symbol | Pu |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 94 |
| Atomic mass | 244.06420(no standard atomic weight: the element has no stable isotopes or characteristic natural composition; PubChem lists this isotope mass) |
| Group | none (actinide series) |
| Period | 7 |
| Block | f-block |
| Category | Actinide |
| Standard state | Solid |
| Discovered | 1940 |
Source: PubChem, Plutonium (periodic table data, retrieved 2026-10-19). Group and period follow the standard 18-column periodic table.
Jensen and colleagues found rat adrenal (PC12) cells can take up plutonium through the iron-transport protein transferrin, but only when plutonium is bound in transferrin's C-lobe and iron in its N-lobe.
As reported in: Jensen, Gorman-Lewis, Aryal et al. (2011). An iron-dependent and transferrin-mediated cellular uptake pathway for plutonium. Nature Chemical Biology. doi:10.1038/nchembio.594
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