Uranium | Definition, Properties, Uses, & Facts | Britannica
Oct 3, 2024 · Uranium, radioactive chemical element of the actinoid series of the periodic table, atomic number 92. It is an important nuclear fuel. It is a dense, hard metallic element that is silvery white in color. It is ductile, malleable, and capable of taking a high polish.
Uranium - Wikipedia
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium radioactively decays, usually by …
What is Uranium? | IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency
Aug 16, 2023 · Like all other actinides, uranium is “radioactive” – it decays over time and releases energy in the process. Its special properties make uranium the main source of fuel for nuclear reactors — a chicken-egg sized amount of uranium fuel …
History of Uranium
Background. Uranium, seen in Fig. 1, has become a well-known item in today's news due to its connection with the making of nuclear bombs along with negative environmental impacts. It also has been extremely useful by providing energy to the world through nuclear reactors.
Nuclear Fuel Facts: Uranium - Department of Energy
Nov 15, 2016 · Uranium was discovered in 1789 by Martin Klaproth, a German chemist, who isolated an oxide of uranium while analyzing pitchblende samples from the Joachimsthal silver mines in the former Kingdom of Bohemia, located in present-day Czechia.
Uranium: Facts about the radioactive element that powers ...
Mar 9, 2022 · Uranium was found to be radioactive in 1896 by Antoine H. Becquerel, a French physicist. Becquerel had left a sample of uranium on top of an unexposed photographic plate, which became cloudy.
Uranium - Element information, properties and uses | Periodic ...
Element Uranium (U), Group 20, Atomic Number 92, f-block, Mass 238.029. Sources, facts, uses, scarcity (SRI), podcasts, alchemical symbols, videos and images.