Uranium Essay, Research Paper

Uranium is a silvery-white element

possessing a very radioactive and oxidizing

character. Uranium retains a density of 19.07

grams per cubic centimeter and a melting point of

roughly 1,132 degrees centigrade. With a boiling

point of approximately 3,818 degrees Celsius

uranium is not an easy element to get to a melting

or boiling point. The Periodic Table says that

uranium has 92 protons and 146 neutrons thereby

acquiring a atomic weight of 238 atomic mass

units. Uranium burns readily in air at 150 to 175

degrees centigrade and at 1,000 degrees Celsius

uranium combines with nitrogen to form a yellow

nitride. Uranium is found in such ores as

pitchblende and carnotite. In the crust of the Earth

uranium is found at about 2 parts per million. In

order words, for every half million tons of nature

one digs up, they can expect to find one ton of

uranium, not an abundant is found. To mine this

element, miners will break up and mix pitchblende

with sulfuric and nitric acids. This then breaks the

uranium into uranyl sulfate and with the addition of

heat, uranium is then precipitated as sodium

diuranate and collected. Humans today use

uranium to produce nuclear weapons and nuclear

reactors. While producing electrical energy, power

plants consume close to 40 million tons of coal per

month, while the same output could be obtained

by using only 15 pounds of uranium per month.