Does anyone know where I can get military-grade plutonium?

I was thinking about building a nuclear reactor. Nothing really much to say.


DP

Comments

[roccopeterbilt]

1st: Find a crazy haired Doctor with a Delorean
2nd: Wear a bullet proof vest...cause trouble with Libyans has been around since at least 1985

[Dr. Pepper]

Definitely the answer I needed.

[nuclearweapon]

what the heck do you need plutonium for???

[SMDave]

You can buy it here - they have it i stock. This is a highly reputable supplier, and you can putchase any desired isotope of Pu.
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/isotopes/r_pu239.html

[hightekrednek2396]

Theres a hobbyshop down the street from me and they have plutonium and if you know the password they got or radioactive materials

[spectacular]

Are u serious!

[hightekrednek2396]

They seriously have plutonium

[spectacular]

How do u get the password?

I don't want it, just curious ;)

[hightekrednek2396]

I was joking about the password and backdoor but they do have plutonium

[lemonie]

Why plutonium and why "military-grade"? Do you have a specific design in mind and fuel specification?

L

[Dr. Pepper]

I'm building a MOX reactor.

[lemonie]

Which requires mixed fuel and mostly U - I assume you've got a load of Uranuim already?

L

[Dr. Pepper]

Yeah, from here.

[kelseymh]

Then you're barking up the wrong tree.

[Dr. Pepper]

Oh really?

[aelias36]

Is uranium OK?

http://www.amazon.com/Images-SI-Inc-Uranium-Ore/dp/B000796XXM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1302573593&sr=8-7

[hightekrednek2396]

the comments on there are hilarious

[aelias36]

David Pogue's (NYT) has a whole bunch of listings like these.

[Dr. Pepper]

You're right!

[Dr. Pepper]

Yeah.

[Kiteman]

You don't need metallic plutonium, or even uranium, to build a DIY nuclear reactor.

This design is too small to provide much useful power, but it will fit on your desk-top, and uses materials that are reasonably easy to obtain.

[Dr. Pepper]

Wow.

[chilll2009]

What is your use of a nuclear reactor!?!?

[Dr. Pepper]

Does it really matter?

[chilll2009]

Well it sounds illegal so u have to explain webbots look for stuff like nuclear

[Dr. Pepper]

It was just a joke.

[gmoon]

Isn't "consumer-grade" plutonium good enough?

[Dr. Pepper]

No. It has to be the highest quality.

[orksecurity]

The simple answer here is "No. There is no legitimate way for you to get plutonium. You don't need it, or want it, for a reactor. If you're serious, I hope someone is watching you; if you aren't, stop now."

[Dr. Pepper]

Wow. You really can't take a joke.

[orksecurity]

There are some gags which can get the joker in serious trouble before they can explain their way out. This is one. Given the current "security theater" climate in the US, which is getting to the point where it's arguably causing law enforcement to commit civil rights violations, I _really_ wouldn't risk this one right now.

Sorry to be a wet blanket. Feel free to ignore me. But I felt someone had to make this clear.

[Dr. Pepper]

Of course! Please don't worry. If this gets to bad then I'll delete it.

[orksecurity]

You also caught me on a day when I was already grumpy for other reasons. Apologies. I *did* consider whether or not to send that answer for a good long time, but in the end decided to push the button.

Besides, if you're playing with this sort of stuff, you really shouldn't be surprised if something -- or someone -- explodes.

[Dr. Pepper]

Don't worry, it's ok. I'm glad that you're worried about my safety.

[Vyger]

Send a letter with your request to The Department of Homeland Security. They will fix you right up.

[Dr. Pepper]

With a prison cell.

[Burf]

They might be able to help you Here.

www.russianarmysurplus.com/

[Dr. Pepper]

I'm afraid they don't carry plutonium.

[kelseymh]

Weapons-grade plutonium is a crappy reactor fuel. You can use a mixture of U-235 and Pu-238 (not the weapons material), in a so-called "mixed oxide" (MOX) fuel pellet.

As for building a reactor, you can do that much more easily with low-enriched uranium with a graphite moderator, which is less difficult to obtain. If you had done any research before posting, you would know that.

By the way, if you're trying to shock people, you would do a better job if you got the terminology correct.

[Re-design]

I thought that plutonium was a byproduct of some reactors and not the fuel used to run one.

I believe they guard and regulate that stuff kinda strictly.

You can probably filter some out of the sand at the beach in Japan if you're careful.

[kelseymh]

See my answer above. ²³⁹Pu is a waste product of uranium-reactor operation (and can be harvested during reprocessing). ²³⁸Pu is a good fuel for MOX reactors.