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Plutonium is a radio active atom that was obtained by nuclear fusion techniques.

What the name means: Plutonium was named after the "planet" Pluto that had been discovered in 1930. (Pluto was categorised as a dwarf planet in 2006).

Who made plutonium?: Glenn Theodore Seaborg, Michael Cefola and their co-workers, working at the Berkeley Laboratory of the University of California, made plutonium in 1940 by bombarding uranium atoms with heavy hydrogen nuclei (called deuterium and consisting of 1 proton and 1 neutron).

About  plutonium: Plutonium occurs in trace amounts in uranium ores, which makes it the heaviest naturally occurring element. However, most plutonium comes from nuclear reactors (about 20,000 kg every year). Plutonium is a silvery metal that tarnishes in air.