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Uranium enrichment: A chemist explains how the surprisingly common element is processed to power reactors and weaponsBasically, an isotope is the same element but with a different mass. Unprocessed uranium is mostly uranium-238. It only contains approximately 0.7% uranium-235, the isotope that allows the most ...
Uranium has civilian uses that have nothing to do with weapons. For a bomb, the uranium needs to be a lot more concentrated.
When we dig uranium out of the ground, 99.27% of it is uranium-238, which has 92 protons and 146 neutrons. Only 0.72% of it is uranium-235 with 92 protons and 143 neutrons (the remaining 0.01% are ...
For uranium, two main isotopes are important to understand: Uranium-238 (U-238) is the most common form of uranium found in nature, making up about 99.27% of natural uranium.
Because uranium-235 is a little lighter than uranium-238, it moves outward more slowly when spun, and the two isotopes separate. It’s sort of like how a salad spinner separates water from lettuce.
Unprocessed uranium is mostly uranium-238. It only contains approximately 0.7% uranium-235 , the isotope that allows the most nuclear fission to occur. So, the enrichment process concentrates ...
When we dig uranium out of the ground, 99.27% of it is uranium-238, which has 92 protons and 146 neutrons. Only 0.72% of it is uranium-235 with 92 protons and 143 neutrons (the remaining 0.01% are ...
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