The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
A synthetically produced transuranium element. It does not exist in measurable amounts in the earth's crust. Glenn Seaborg and his colleagues at the University of California at Berkeley first prepared this element in 1940. Plutonium is by far the most important of all transuranium elements because one of its isotopes, plutonium-239, can be fissioned. Plutonium-239 is the only isotope other than uranium-235 that is readily available for use in nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors. Unfortunately plutonium is also one of the most toxic substances known to humans, making its commercial use a serious environmental hazard. With a half-life of 24,000 years, the isotope presents difficult disposal problems.