Thread 16838385

Is plutonium no good for this, or is it that plutonium is non-denyable; but you can just say the uranium was part of the penetrator :P.

I know you can't use plutonium in a guntype because it pre-initiates too quickly and disassembles itself before full initiation resulting in a fizzle.

>>16838385 (OP)
Every isotope is somewhat unique, but it mostly comes down to availability. U235 is the easiest due to being able to centrifuge it from natural uranium ore at a 0.7% ratio. Uranium ore is relatively safe, relatively nonreacitve, and not much of a radiation hazard.

Plutonium is refined from the transmutation products in a fission reactor. These transmutation and daughter products are highly radioactive and often chemically toxic. Very hazardous to process.

Also half life too. It doesn't make sense to make a nuclear bomb with a short half life unless you intend to detonate it immediately.

Nuclear deterrence bombs need decades of storage life.