Livermore researchers contribute to major plutonium publication

This fall, the American Nuclear Society is publishing the second edition of the Plutonium Handbook, a 4000-page, 7-volume compendium that delivers a comprehensive review of plutonium chemistry. (The first edition was published 50 years ago.) Five years in the making, this publication includes contributions from 17 Lawrence Livermore researchers, two of whom are also on the international editorial board. Handbook topics span the history of the discovery of plutonium, properties of plutonium isotopes, chemistry and properties of plutonium metal and alloys, plutonium aging, thermodynamic trends of plutonium, plutonium in nuclear fuels, waste forms, and heat sources, packaging, storing, and transportation of plutonium, nuclear security and safeguards, and techniques for working with plutonium. Livermore contributors include Patrick Allen (MSD), John Despotopulos (NACS), Julie Gostic, Leonard Gray, Kiel Holliday (MSD), Jason Jeffries (PHYS), Scott McCall (MSD), James McNeese, Ken Moody (NACS), Jim Oldani, Aurélien Perron (MSD), Dawn Shaughnessy (NACS), Per Söderlind (PHYS), Patrice Turchi, Mark Wall (PHYS), Wilhelm Wolfer, and Mavrik Zavarin (ADO). The book can be purchased on the American Nuclear Society’s website.