Plutonium is used across the world in nuclear power plants, and while it generates lots of energy, its waste products are still not easy to deal with. Now, researchers argue that our ignorance may be making it ever more difficult. Researchers at the University of Florida have completed an in-depth study of the chemical properties of plutonium and they argue that this heavy element behaves a lot more simply than we previously thought. They believe that plutonium reacts a bit like iron and nickel, which are much lighter. This might help us develop new ways to treat nuclear waste. The discovery is published in Nature Chemistry.
IFL Science 9th May 2017 read more »