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Enriched uranium is still usually mainly 238U, but it has a higher percentage of 235U than the natural abundance. Depleted uranium is exactly the opposite: it's got a LOWER than normal amount of 235U.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoU 238 is less stable than U 235 (meaning it emits more radiation). The general rule is that the more neutrons a particular isotope has, the more unstable it is and therefore more radioactive. This is not ALWAYS true though.
Actually this is one of the exceptions to the general rule, U 235 is less stable and thus more radioactive than U 238. This has to do with nucleon pairing.
Uranium has 92 protons, an even number which means all the protons are paired. Uranium-238 has 146 neutrons, an even number which means all the neutrons are paired; however uranium-235 has 143 neutrons, an odd number which means a neutron is unpaired. This unpaired neutron makes uranium-235 less stable and thus more radioactive than nearby isotopes with more neutrons but that have all their neutrons paired, like uranium-238. This is demonstrated experimentally in that the halflife of uranium-235 is roughly an order of magnitude shorter than the halflife of uranium-238.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago- Uranium-235 has 143 neutrons.
- Uranium-238 has 146 neutrons.
- The Atomic Mass of uranium-238 is greater.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThe isotope 235U is fissionable with thermal neutrons; can be used as nuclear fuel in nuclear power reactors or in nuclear weapons.
The isotope 237U is without any importance.
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Uranium -235 and uranium -238 are different of uranium?
Isotopes Uranium 235 and uranium 238 are only natural isotopes of the element uranium.
What is enriched uranium?
Enriched uranium is uranium that has had its U-235 isotope content elevated above what it would be when we refine natural uranium after recovering the metal from ore.We know that U-235 is the desired fissionable isotope of uranium, but it is the isotope U-238 that is present in over 99% of all the naturally occurring uranium we mine and recover. We have to put the uranium through a process to separate the U-235 from the U-238. As these two isotopes are chemically identical, it takes a mechanical process to separate them. After running the uranium through a process designed to take advantage of the difference in the mass of the two atoms, the industry will recover uranium with a very high percentage of the U-235 isotope, and this is called enriched uranium.If uranium is enriched to a point where there is up to about 20% U-235, it is low-enriched uranium. Above that 20% mark we see highly enriched uranium. Above about 85%, we call the product weapons-grade uranium. A link can be found below for more information.
Are uranium 235 and uranium 238 said to be radioactive molecules since they have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons?
No, Uranium-235 and uranium-238 are radioactive, natural isotopes (not molecules, but atoms) of the one and the same element: uranium.Both with 92 protons and 235-92 = 143 neutrons in U-235 but 146 neutrons in U-238.
How is the structure of an atom of uranium 235 different from the structure of an astom of uranium 238?
Uranium-235 has 143 neutrons, uranium-238 has146 neutrons.
How is the structure of an atom or uranium 235 dfferent to the structure of an atom of uranium 238?
Uranium-235 has 143 neutrons and uranium-238 has 146 neutrons.
What element if often enriched and used in nuclear bombs?
Uranium is enriched in the isotope uranium-235, producing uranium-238 as waste.
What fuel does a nuclear reactor use?
Uranium-235 in combination with Uranium-238, enriched from natural levels of about 0.7% U-235 to about 5% U-235. There are other configurations, but this is the most common.
What is a uranium 235 that is use in nuclear power plant?
U-235 is the enriched form of U-238 which is used in fission reactors as the fuel rods.
What is differentiation enriched uranium?
Enriched uranium is an uranium with more than 0,7 % uranium 235.
Uranium -235 and uranium -238 are different of uranium?
Isotopes Uranium 235 and uranium 238 are only natural isotopes of the element uranium.
What is enriched uranium?
Enriched uranium is uranium that has had its U-235 isotope content elevated above what it would be when we refine natural uranium after recovering the metal from ore.We know that U-235 is the desired fissionable isotope of uranium, but it is the isotope U-238 that is present in over 99% of all the naturally occurring uranium we mine and recover. We have to put the uranium through a process to separate the U-235 from the U-238. As these two isotopes are chemically identical, it takes a mechanical process to separate them. After running the uranium through a process designed to take advantage of the difference in the mass of the two atoms, the industry will recover uranium with a very high percentage of the U-235 isotope, and this is called enriched uranium.If uranium is enriched to a point where there is up to about 20% U-235, it is low-enriched uranium. Above that 20% mark we see highly enriched uranium. Above about 85%, we call the product weapons-grade uranium. A link can be found below for more information.
Why is enriched uranium is preferred over natural uranium as a fuel in thermal reactors?
The uranium isotope that is actually useful (whether for a reactor, or for an atomic bomb) is U-235. Natural uranium contains only about 0.7% of this; the remainder is mainly U-238. Therefore, it must be enriched, to have a greater percentage of U-235.
Are uranium 235 and uranium 238 said to be radioactive molecules since they have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons?
No, Uranium-235 and uranium-238 are radioactive, natural isotopes (not molecules, but atoms) of the one and the same element: uranium.Both with 92 protons and 235-92 = 143 neutrons in U-235 but 146 neutrons in U-238.
How is the structure of an atom of uranium 235 different from the structure of an astom of uranium 238?
Uranium-235 has 143 neutrons, uranium-238 has146 neutrons.
How is the structure of an atom or uranium 235 dfferent to the structure of an atom of uranium 238?
Uranium-235 has 143 neutrons and uranium-238 has 146 neutrons.
What is the element uranium used for in warfare?
Depleted Uranium, 0.2% U-235 99.8% U-238: Armor piercing antitank Gatling gun bullets and tank armor plateHighly Enriched Uranium, 93.5% U-235 6.5% U-238: Fission bomb coresReactor Produced Uranium,
Does CANDU reactor use enriched uranium?
CANDU Reactors are specifically designed such that they do not require enriched uranium, and can operate entirely on naturally-occurring uranium. A CANDU design is generally used by parties that do not desire uranium enrichment facilities, due to the cost of those facilities. That said, a CANDU reactor CAN use enriched uranium, they are fully capable of supporting that fuel type.
