Uranium Essay, Research Paper

Uranium was first discovered by Martin Klaproth in 1789. Although he discovered it in a compound, he named it Uranium after the planet Uranus. It was later found in its pure form by Eugene Peligot in 1841. It can be found in ores of pitchblende, carnote, and torbernite.

With an atomic number of 92 and an atomic weight of 238.0289 grams and a density of 18.7,which is 19 times heavier than water, uranium is the heaviest natural element. It can be found on the Period Table in the actinoid group with the symbol “U”.

Uranium is radioactive element that combines easily with other elements. With a melting point of 1405.3K and boiling point of 4200K, uranium can be easily shaped at high temperatures, and is fissionable. It has a color of silver white to steel gray. The crystal form is orthorhombic.

Although uranium can be found almost anywhere, it can be found in over 100 different ores, but finding uranium in plentiful sources is very rare. Main sources are in the United States, Canada, South Africa, France, East Germany, Australia, Czechoslovakia, Zaire, Niger, Gabon, and Namibia. Uranium is found by either using one of two devices that pick up radioactivity, the Geiger-Muller counter, or the scintillation counter, which is more sensitive than the Geiger counter.

Traces of uranium is found in humans. Over the years, scientists have found that uranium also can be in crustal rock, sea water, and in carbonaceous meteorites.

Uranium was first used as nuclear fuel in 1942. It’s used to make plutonium, which has been used in nuclear weapons, such as the atomic bomb and other warheads. It is used in the making of special chemicals and electonic parts. Also small amounts of uranium are used to produce radioactive isotopes that are used in the medical, industrial, and research fields.

Sources

www.webelements.com

www.xrefer.com

www.uic.com.au/uran.htm

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