What is uranium?
The Navajo have another name: Leetso, or “yellow monster.” • Uranium is a very heavy (dense) extremely toxic and carcinogenic metal which can be used as an abundant source of concentrated energy. • It occurs in most rocks in concentrations of 2 to 4 parts per million and is as common in the earth’s crust as tin, tungsten and molybdenum. It occurs in seawater, and could be recovered from the oceans if prices rose significantly. • It was discovered in 1789 by Martin Klaproth, a German chemist, in the mineral called pitchblende. It was named after the planet Uranus, which had been discovered eight years earlier. • Uranium was apparently formed in super novae about 6.6 billion years ago. While it is not common in the solar system, today its radioactive decay provides the main source of heat inside the earth, causing convection and continental drift. • The high density of uranium means that it also finds uses in the keels of yachts and as counterweights for aircraft control surfaces (rudder
Uranium, chemical symbol U, is a radioactive metallic element of high specific gravity, which occurs naturally in most rocks, soil, and the ocean. It is 500 times more abundant than gold and is as common in the earth’s crust as tin, tungsten, and molybdenum. Uranium is found as an oxide, uraninite or mixed oxide, pitchblende or complex salt such as brannerite (oxide of uranium, rare earths, iron and titanium), coffinite (uranium silicate), and carnotite (hydrated potassium uranyl vanadate). Uranium is insoluble in water and non-flammable, and occurs in nature as a mixture of Wee isotopes _ U23R (99.28%), U'” (0.71%) and U2:>'(O.OI%). U235 is the only naturally occurring uranium element that can be readily split (nuclear fission) yielding the large amount of energy which is the basis for nuclear power. The vast majority of nuclear power reactors are fuelled by ‘enriched’ uranium where the U235 content has been raised from 0.71 % to approximately 3.5%. Uranium covers three sectors, as a
Uranium is a common naturally occurring and radioactive substance. It is a normal part of rocks, soil, air, and water, and it occurs in nature in the form of minerals – but never as a metal. Uranium metal is silver-colored with a gray surface and is nearly as strong as steel. Natural uranium is a mixture of three types or isotopes called U-234 (234U), U-235 (235U), and U-238 (238U). All three are the same chemical, but they have different radioactive properties. Typical concentrations in soil are a few parts per million (ppm). Some rocks contain high enough mineral concentrations of uranium to be mined. The rocks are taken to a chemical plant where the uranium is taken out and made into uranium chemicals or metal. The remaining sand is called mill tailings. Tailings are rich in the chemicals and radioactive materials that were not removed, such as radium and thorium. One of the radioactive properties of uranium is half-life, or the time it takes for half of the isotope to give off its
Uranium is a metallic chemical element which is classified among the actinides on the periodic table of elements. It is perhaps most famous as the source of fuel for nuclear weapons and power plants, but it has a range of uses as well. Deposits of uranium have been found in several regions of the world, and the element is fairly abundant in nature, keeping prices relatively low under normal conditions. Because this element is toxic and radioactive and because it has potentially very dangerous uses, access to the world’s supply of uranium is tightly restricted. When uranium is isolated from the metal ores it occurs in, it is a silvery white, very heavy metal which is extremely reactive and a little bit softer than steel. Because uranium is so reactive, it quickly forms a thick gray to black tarnish when exposed to air. There are 14 known isotopes of uranium, and the element also appears in a number of chemical compounds, some of which have industrial uses. You can find uranium on the pe
