Uranium

92
U
Group
n/a
Period
7
Block
f
Protons
Electrons
Neutrons
92
92
146
General Properties
Atomic Number
92
Atomic Weight
238.02891
Mass Number
238
Category
Actinides
Colour
Silver
Radioactive
Yes
Named after the planet Uranus
Crystal Structure
Base Centered Orthorhombic
History
Uranium was discovered in 1789 by the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth.

In 1841, Eugène-Melchior Péligot isolated the first sample of uranium metal by heating uranium tetrachloride with potassium.

Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity by using uranium in 1896.
Electrons per shell
2, 8, 18, 32, 21, 9, 2
Electron Configuration
[Rn] 5f3 6d1 7s2
U
Uranium-235 was the first isotope that was found to be fissile
Physical Properties
Phase
Solid
Density
18.95 g/cm3
Melting Point
1405.35 K | 1132.2 °C | 2069.96 °F
Boiling Point
4404.15 K | 4131 °C | 7467.8 °F
Heat of Fusion
14 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization
420 kJ/mol
Specific Heat Capacity
0.116 J/g·K
Abundance in Earth's crust
0.00018%
Abundance in Universe
2×10-8%
A
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons (Zxctypo)
A billet of highly enriched uranium
CAS Number
7440-61-1
PubChem CID Number
23989
Atomic Properties
Atomic Radius
156 pm
Covalent Radius
196 pm
Electronegativity
1.38 (Pauling scale)
Ionization Potential
6.1941 eV
Atomic Volume
12.59 cm3/mol
Thermal Conductivity
0.276 W/cm·K
Oxidation States
3, 4, 5, 6
Applications
Uranium is used as fuel for nuclear power plants.

Uranium is used as a colourant in uranium glass, producing orange-red to lemon yellow hues.

It was also used for tinting and shading in early photography.

The major application of uranium in the military sector is in high-density penetrators.
Uranium is toxic and highly radioactive
Isotopes
Stable Isotopes
-
Unstable Isotopes
215U, 216U, 217U, 218U, 219U, 220U, 221U, 222U, 223U, 224U, 225U, 226U, 227U, 228U, 229U, 230U, 231U, 232U, 233U, 234U, 235U, 236U, 237U, 238U, 239U, 240U, 241U, 242U