Uranium+Chemistry+Project



What does an atomic bombs, colored glass, and dyed cloth have in common. All three of these objects contain Uranium. Uranium is a chemical element whose atomic number is ninety-two. Martin Klaproth, a German chemist, discovered Uranium in1789. Uranium is named after Uranus, the planet, which was discovered eight years earlier. Uranium is the last naturally created element and is also the heaviest. Uranium is a huge source of energy for the earth and over half of the world's electricity is from uranium that is generated in nuclear reactors. However, use of uranium is an environmental problem so scientists are trying to find an alternative. The EPA used the Clean Air Act to limit the emissions of uranium into the air. Uranium. Obviously, Uranium has lots of great qualities and uses but its main use is one that is considered good by some but is considered evil by others.

However, Uranium has good, regular, everyday uses also. Before it was discovered to be of use in the making of atomic bombs it was used in glass that was about to be colored. Usually in oxide form, Uranium is added to a glass mix before the melting process begins. Uranium glass is usually green or yellow depending on the oxidation of the Uranium when it is mixed.In the 1950s and ‘60s the use of Uranium for this reason was pretty common. However, nowadays it is hardly ever used and is only kept as an antique



The atomic bomb. The big daddy of all bombs. The end all, be all of warfare. In a popular gaming series, going on a 25 kill-streak gives you the ability to call in a Nuke, kill all the people playing, and end the match. Well, this is not actually what happens in real life. If a country uses an atomic bomb on another country. That entire country is devastated. Radiation sweeps through the country killing, poisoning, and destroying animals, environments, and people. The “Little Boy” bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima was said to have contained about 130 pounds of 80% enriched Uranium fuel. Cosmos Magazine tells why you it is necessary to enrich the Uranium for an atomic bomb in their article “Uranium Enrichment: How to Make an Atomic Bomb.” This is an excerpt from the article: “While nuclear power stations can be fueled with relatively low-grade uranium fuel, an atom bomb requires a much more highly enriched version. When uranium ore is dug out of the ground, it is almost entirely composed of the relatively long-lived U-238 isotope. Only a very small fraction is made up of the unstable U-235, which is the isotope that can undergo spontaneous fission. This is the process where the atomic nucleus splits, releasing enough energy in the process to coerce its neighbors into similarly splitting, resulting in a runaway chain reaction. It’s this chain reaction – controlled within the bounds of a nuclear reactor – that generates power. The same reaction, when left unhindered, produces the catastrophic effects of a nuclear explosion. The goal, therefore, is to beef up the percentage of U-235 in uranium ore so that there is enough of it to induce and maintain a chain reaction.” (Video) __[|www.youtube.com/embed/Pz6eHI_XM5k]__ 1024 × 768 - crazy-frankenstein.com The history of Uranium is a very interesting one. When it was first discovered in 1789 it was a very uninteresting elements because it was only used for glass and dyes. They found a yellow glass dating back to 79 A.D that contained more than one percent of uranium oxide. Over the next few years it remained a very boring element until Henry Bacquerel detected it’s radioactivity. Because Uranium was naturally radioactive it began to be used to sustain nuclear reactions. Specifically Uranium 235 was used for nuclear reactions because it was fissionable and when it hit a neutron it produced enough neutrons to sustain the nuclear reaction. Obviously, after this was discovered Uranium became a very high demand element.

Uranium has been used for different reasons for two millennia. In ancient times the Romans used it to color glass. Recently it has been used to fuel atomic reactors and is considered one of the most important elements on the periodic table. Uranium is the heaviest element and is about as strong as steel. Discovered in 1789, Uranium is not a very old element and its use as a fuel has not been discovered till very recently. However, now it’s importance cannot be understated!

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Dryden Publishing. "Uses for Uranium." // Uses for Uranium //. Dryden Publishing, 13 Dec. 2004. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.[|http:/uranium21.tripod.com/id5.html] World Nuclear Association. "What Is Uranium? How Does It Work?" //What Is Uranium? How Does It Work//. World Nuclear Association, Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Sept. 2013 [] //Dean, Tim. "Uranium Enrichment: How to Make an Atomic Bomb." COSMOS Magazine Uranium Enrichment How to Make an Atomic Bomb Comments//. Cosmos Magazine, 22 Aug. 2006. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/uranium-enrichment-how-make-atomic-bomb/