What is the price of an ounce of plutonium? Is an ounce of plutonium more valuable than an ounce of cocaine?
Where does plutonium come from to build nuclear weapons? I believe that it is enriched uranium. So the process from uranium to plutonium most be very costly. O.K. I have this plutonium to sell, how would I sell it? I don’t think ebay would touch it. Is it like a drug deal where someone knows someone else to market the product? I am sure that if I had plutonium, countries would run to me like feens in a crack deal.
So, after processing, paying off my employees and paying tax, how much can I get for my destructive glowing product?
I have no idea what the street value of plutonium is – I suspect offering it for sale would net you…
Oh, about 25 to life in Leavenworth.
However, some of the other questions can be answered. Plutonium has two principal uses: fission bombs and nuclear power. While a very slight trace of it occurs in nature (caused by natural enrichment in uranium ores), it is produced in “breeder reactors” by irradiating Uranium-238 with neutrons to form Uranium-239, which then undergoes two rapid beta reactions to become Plutonium-239. It is, of course, a completely separate element from Uranium. Construction of a safe and secure breeder reactor is costly, but the production of Pu-239 from U-238 is almost free, being a byproduct of generating power in such a reactor.
I would assume that any trading in Pu is conducted between nations, and perhaps by specialized black market people. AFAIK, it is illegal for private citizens to own it under the various acts regulating fissionable materials and nuclear technology.
I think you’d find trading in Plutonium an extremely hazardous line of work.
Plutonium is among the most toxic substances known to man…handle with care.
Western governments will go to extreme lengths to stop you. Think it is bad having the IRS on your ass? Try on the NSA, FBI and maybe CIA not to mention Interpol. Good luck…
Governments that can produce the stuff themselves don’t need to buy it from you. The people who would buy it from you are pretty unsavory characters and as likely to kill you as not to get their hands on the Plutonium.
All-in-all I’d say there are far safer lines of work to take up. You may get a few million dollars for a few pounds of Plutonium but in this case even trafficing in cocaine is likely to be a safer profession.
Well, according to the National Office of National Drug Control Policy, in the year 2000, Cocaine cost about $211.70 per gram (retail). I tried converting that into ounces, but my calculator kept giving me funny numbers, so you’re on your own at that point. Heroin cost $2,087.86 per gram in 2000, btw. Incidentally, the current price of gold is about $360 per ounce, if my sources are to be beleived.
Ranchoth
(“The more you know!”)
Being that there (hopefully) isn’t an established black market that regularly buys & sells plutonium its impossible to give a ‘street’ price.
However, because of how difficult & expensive it is to make and what you can do with it a couple kilos of Pu would be worth tens of millions to the right people.
In my part of the country, coke goes for $700-$1200/oz. After searching with google, I’m a bit confused by the price of plutonium. I thout Poly was nuts to say that it is almost free. http://www.gracelinks.org/nuke/docs/citizens_guide.doc
And I saw a french document that put the value at zero. I stopped reading after that. Poly’s right. Learn something new everyday.
