Name: Uranium

Symbol: U

Atomic Number: 92

Atomic Mass: 238.0829

Element category: Actinides

Who discovered it: Martin Heinrich Klaproth

Nuclear fission

When it was discovered: 1789

Uses:

• Military Use

Uranium is used in atomic or nuclear bombs in the military. The first atomic bomb named “little boy” was used in the World War II. It produces massive amount of energy by the splitting of atoms, known as nuclear fission. Nuclear fission is caused by using a neutron to bombard onto a nucleus, which makes the nucleus unstable and splits. At the same time neutrons are emitted, which makes other nucleus split, and produce a chain reaction, and therefore produces a large amount of energy when each nucleus is split.

• Civilian Use

Uranium is mainly used in Nuclear power plants to produce electricity; it produces energy by using nuclear fission. Theoretically1 Kilogram of uranium-235 can produce about 20 trillion joules of energy (20×1012 joules); as much electricity as 1500 tonnes of coal can produce.

Other information:

-         Uranium is commonly mined in the form of oxide (Uranium Oxide – UO2)

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Uranium is mainly mined in Canada, Australia, Russia, Niger, Namibia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, South Africa and the USA.

Bibliography: en.Wikipedia.org