The rate of energy production by alpha-disintegration of plutonium (239) has been measured calorimetrically. The method was to measure the rate of evaporation of liquid nitrogen by a 120-gram sphere of metallic Pu²³⁹ and compare this rate with that produced by the introduction of electrical energy. The power produced by Pu²³⁹ is 1.923±{}0.019 abs. watts·{}gram^-1. Combining this with the energy per alpha-particle determined from range and range-energy measurements, one obtains 2.411×{}10⁴ years as the half-life of Pu²³⁹ with respect to alpha emission.
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Stout et al. (1947) studied this question.
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