Uranium
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons.
Characteristics[edit | edit source]
Uranium is weakly radioactive because all isotopes of uranium are unstable; the two naturally occurring isotopes with significant half-lives are Uranium-235 and Uranium-238. When refined, uranium is a silvery white, weakly radioactive metal, which is slightly softer than steel, and is malleable, ductile, and slightly paramagnetic.
Isotopes[edit | edit source]
Uranium has the highest atomic weight of the naturally occurring elements. Its two principal isotopes are Uranium-235 and Uranium-238 with 143 and 146 neutrons respectively. Uranium-235 is the only naturally occurring fissile isotope. It makes up approximately 0.72% of natural uranium.
Uses[edit | edit source]
The primary use of uranium in the civilian sector is to fuel nuclear power plants. One kilogram of uranium-235 can theoretically produce about 20 terajoules of energy (2 million times more than natural gas). Uranium is also used in the military sector for high-density penetrators.
Health effects[edit | edit source]
Exposure to uranium can result in both chemical and radiological toxicity. The use of Depleted uranium in munitions is controversial because of questions about potential long-term health effects.
See also[edit | edit source]
Group | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |
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Hydrogen & alkali metals |
Alkaline earth metals | Triels | Tetrels | Pnictogens | Chalcogens | Halogens | Noble gases | ||||||||||||
Period |
[[
hydrogen | ]] |
[[
helium | ]] | |||||||||||||||||
2 | [[
lithium | ]] |
[[
beryllium | ]] |
[[
boron | ]] |
[[
carbon | ]] |
[[
nitrogen | ]] |
[[
oxygen | ]] |
[[
fluorine | ]] |
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neon | ]] | |||||||||||
3 | [[
sodium | ]] |
[[
magnesium | ]] |
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aluminium | ]] |
[[
silicon | ]] |
[[
phosphorus| ]] |
[[
sulfur | ]] |
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chlorine | ]] |
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argon | ]] | |||||||||||
4 | [[
potassium | ]] |
[[
calcium | ]] |
[[
scandium | ]] |
[[
titanium | ]] |
[[
vanadium | ]] |
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chromium | ]] |
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manganese | ]] |
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iron | ]] |
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cobalt | ]] |
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nickel | ]] |
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copper | ]] |
[[
zinc | ]] |
[[
gallium | ]] |
[[
germanium | ]] |
[[
arsenic | ]] |
[[
selenium | ]] |
[[
bromine | ]] |
[[
krypton | ]] | |
5 | [[
rubidium | ]] |
[[
strontium | ]] |
[[
yttrium | ]] |
[[
zirconium | ]] |
[[
niobium | ]] |
[[
molybdenum| ]] |
[[
technetium| ]] |
[[
ruthenium | ]] |
[[
rhodium | ]] |
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palladium | ]] |
[[
silver | ]] |
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cadmium | ]] |
[[
indium | ]] |
[[
tin | ]] |
[[
antimony | ]] |
[[
tellurium | ]] |
[[
iodine | ]] |
[[
xenon | ]] | |
6 | [[
caesium | ]] |
[[
barium | ]] |
[[
lutetium | ]] |
[[
hafnium | ]] |
[[
tantalum | ]] |
[[
tungsten | ]] |
[[
rhenium | ]] |
[[
osmium | ]] |
[[
iridium | ]] |
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platinum | ]] |
[[
gold | ]] |
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Mercury (element)| ]] |
[[
thallium | ]] |
[[
lead | ]] |
[[
bismuth | ]] |
[[
polonium | ]] |
[[
astatine | ]] |
[[
radon | ]] | |
7 | [[
francium | ]] |
[[
radium | ]] |
[[
lawrencium | ]] |
[[
rutherfordium| ]] |
[[
dubnium | ]] |
[[
seaborgium | ]] |
[[
bohrium | ]] |
[[
hassium | ]] |
[[
meitnerium | ]] |
[[
darmstadtium | ]] |
[[
roentgenium | ]] |
[[
copernicium | ]] |
[[
nihonium | ]] |
[[
flerovium | ]] |
[[
moscovium | ]] |
[[
livermorium | ]] |
[[
tennessine | ]] |
[[
oganesson | ]] | |
[[
lanthanum | ]] |
[[
cerium | ]] |
[[
praseodymium| ]] |
[[
neodymium | ]] |
[[
promethium | ]] |
[[
samarium | ]] |
[[
europium | ]] |
[[
gadolinium | ]] |
[[
terbium | ]] |
[[
dysprosium | ]] |
[[
holmium | ]] |
[[
erbium | ]] |
[[
thulium | ]] |
[[
ytterbium | ]] |
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[[
actinium | ]] |
[[
thorium | ]] |
[[
protactinium| ]] |
[[
uranium | ]] |
[[
neptunium | ]] |
[[
plutonium | ]] |
[[
americium | ]] |
[[
curium | ]] |
[[
berkelium | ]] |
[[
californium | ]] |
[[
einsteinium | ]] |
[[
fermium | ]] |
[[
mendelevium| ]] |
[[
nobelium | ]] |
Primordial From decay Synthetic Border shows natural occurrence of the element
- Ca: 40.078
— Abridged value (uncertainty omitted here)[2]
- Po: [209] — mass number of the most stable isotope
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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD