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Plutonium and enriched uranium are different materials.

Enriched uranium is uranium with a concentration of the isotope 235U greater than the natural concentration of 0,7 %.

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Q: Is plutonium and enriched uranium the same thing?
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What is the heaviest naturally occurring element?

I have just had to research this question for materials science homework.The answer that i have come up with is -Hydrogen is the lightest stable element with only one proton.Uranium is the heaviest with 92 protons. But scientist have discovered an eliment called eliment 118 that fits just below radon on the periodic table this eliment was supposed to have been discovered in 1999 but was said to have been made up. So i will go with uranium as being the heaviest known stable element for now.


What are synthetic radioactive elements?

There are several possibilities for elements that are always radioactive and are artificially produced: Technetium Promethium Any element with atomic number 92 (plutonium) or heavier. There are approx 25 of these in existence up to element 118 (element 117 has not been made yet). Additionally, it could be argued that plutonium is found naturally. But only the faintest traces can be found, and could be said to be produced artificially via neutron capture by uranium. It might be (and probably is) possible to create technitium or promethium in the same manner if precursor nuclei for those elements are found with naturally occurring uranium. Neutron capture is possible across a fairly wide range of elements.


Is oil the same thing as petroleum?

Oil and petroleum are the same thing.


Mole of hydrogen vs mole of uranium?

1 hydrogen mole = 1,007 94 g 1 uranium mole = 238,028 91 g But the number of atoms in a mole is the same for all the elements (Avogadro constant = 6,022 141 79(30) × 1023).


What are the total number of atoms conserved in a chemical reaction?

The same number of atoms as in the products! This must be true to uphold the law of conservation of mass, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed.

Related questions

Are the atomic bomb and depleted uranium the same weapon?

No, the atomic bomb and depleted uranium are not the same thing. Nuclear weapons are made with enriched uranium or with plutonium as the fissionable material. Depleted uranium is uranium that is "left over" after natural uranium is put through a process called enrichment to inprove the concentration of the isotope U-235 over that in natural uranium. The enriched uranium with its higher percentage of U-235 is fissionable, and it can be used in nuclear reactors and in nuclear weapons. Depleted uranium is used to make armor-piercing projectiles, and can be put through the neutron flux in an operating reactor to be transformed (transmuted) into plutonium. Use the links below to related questions to learn more.


What happens when plutonium fuses with uranium to make a bomb?

Nothing special. Atomic bombs can be built with either uranium, plutonium, or composite (plutonium/uranium) cores. All work the same.


How are uranium and plutonium alike?

Plutonium has the same composition as uranium, except for the fact that it contains one more neutron and one more proton. Actually Plutonium-239 has 2 more protons and 2 more neutrons than Uranium-235.


What are the same and different between uranium and plutonium?

Uranium has to be refined to be used and can actually be used as a power source.


How many kilograms of Uranium-238 did the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki each contain?

None. The first atomic bomb was made with enriched uranium. Note: There is a "slight technicality" with this one. Here's the deal. Any time that a small quantity (or a slightly larger quantity) of uranium is found, either in nature or in the physics lab, there will be a tiny bit of plutonium in the sample. Only the tiniest bit, but it will be there. Uranium's isotopes are all unstable, and they will decay by spontaneous fission or alpha emission. Within that decay environment, a few atoms of uranium are transformed into atoms of plutonium. As stated, it's a "technicality" as such, but it's a fact.


Can plutonium be used to fuel nuclear reactors?

Yes, but it would not be used in a pure form, because it would be too concentrated for a power reactor. In the UK and France plutonium has been used in what is called MOX (Mixed Oxide) Fuel, where plutonium and uranium oxides are mixed to make fuel with roughly the same fissile content as enriched uranium fuel. I don't believe this technique has been used yet in the US,where spent fuel processing is not in operation so the plutonium is not being separated to make it available. However there may be plutonium available from ex-military stocks, and this could be used if required to supplement the amount of U-235 available.


Is nuclear power same as uranium?

Uranium (as metal, dioxide, carbide, etc.) is the nuclear fuel for nuclear power reactors; plutonium is obtained also from uranium 238 and thorium 232 generate uranium 233.


Are uranium plutonium and hydrogen dangerous?

1. Uranium is a possible polluting agent of the natural environment. 2. Uranium is a toxic and a radioactive chemical element. 3. Uranium release radium and radon. 4. Radioactive wastes are dangerous and need to be isolated. Plutonium: the same characteristics, but it is more toxic and radioactive. Hydrogen: it is a cause of severe explosions.


How do you use uranium and plutonium to generate electricity?

Under nuclear fission with thermal neutrons uranium release an enormous quantity of energy (202,5 MeV per one atom of 235U); the obtained heat is converted in electricity. The same answer for plutonium (excepting the energy per fission).


How much uranium was in the hiroshima atomic bomb?

Whilst the commonly cited figure at Wikipedia is 64 Kg (141 lbs), the actual figure is 56 kilograms of 80% enriched Uranium 235, as cited in "The Last Mission, The Secret History of World War Two's Final Mission," published 2002 by Jim Smith and Malcolm McConnell giving the story of B-29 missions in the final days of WW2. In contrast with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_boy The Quantity used was to ensure achieving natural critical mass, which falls in a range from 52 kilograms to 64 kilograms. Various factors affect what determines natural critical mass such as: Warhead temperature (cooler the better) Density of fissile material Geometry of the Warhead (spherical is smallest mass) Isotope Purity Neutron Flux & Uniformity Use of Reflectors (ie containment of stray neutrons) Of the 56 kilogram warhead of Little Boy which exploded over Hiroshima, only 780 grams or so exploded at the very heart of the Uranium sphere, or about 1-2% of the mass. That is because Neutron flux only attained criticality at the very heart of the sphere and not at the extremities where the Uranium 235 was wasted. When you increase efficiency of the Neutron Flux you require less fissile material. This is the key to shrinking a nuclear warhead. In terms of the Hiroshima bomb however, 640 kilograms of un-enriched Uranium Oxide needed to be enriched to 80% 235U for a single weapon. Uranium 235 is almost never used for nuclear weapons now. Pakistan still uses Uranium for it's warheads. Almost everywhere else now Plutonium is favoured for it's fail safe features. Plutonium is harvested in a nuclear reactor by the radioactive bombardment of fuel which is enriched to 20% Uranium 235. The remaining Uranium 238 is converted to Neptunium 239 and then decays to Plutonium 239. The Plutonium is harvested by chemical separation from nuclear waste. Only about 40 kilograms of un-enriched Uranium Oxide is required to obtain enough Plutonium via a heavy water nuclear reactor for a Plutonium weapon.


Is plutonium reusable?

Directly, no. Once fissioned the plutonium is gone (it has transformed to other lighter elements). However indirectly using a breeder reactor, yes. A plutonium fueled breeder reactor with a uranium breeding blanket will produce more plutonium (from uranium-238) than it consumes. This breeder reactor can at the same time be generating electricity like any other power reactor.


What are the same between uranium and plutonium?

Both are chemical elements, solid, metals, radioactive, having fissile isotopes, chemically reactive, toxic etc.