Uranium--Major application and general informations

Energy from Uranium

One ton of natural Uranium can produce more than 40 million kilowatt-hours of electricity which is equivalent to burning 16,000 tons of coal or 80,000 barrels of oil.

Nuclear Power and Carbon Emissions

Nuclear power plants helped to avoid 90 percent of all carbon emissions averted in the U.S. energy sector between 1981 and 1994. There are currently 104 nuclear power plants operating in U.S. that produce over 20 percent of U.S. electricity.

Uranium Burning Point & Melting Point

Finely separated uranium burns readily in air at 150 to 175 degrees Celsius i.e. 300 to 350 degrees in Fahrenheit and it boils at about 3,818 degrees Celsius i.e. about 6,904 degrees in Fahrenheit.

Uranium Density & Nucleus

Uranium is very dense, say at about 19 grams per cubic centimeter; it is 1.6 times denser than a lead so this density increases weight. Uranium-238 atomic no. is 92 protons and 146 neutrons in its nucleus.

Uranium Isotope Proportions

In general naturally occurring uranium is 99.2745 percent uranium-238, with uranium-235 (the energy producing isotope) making up about 0.720 percent, and uranium-234 filling in the remainder at less than 0.0055 percent.

Uranium Glass & Baseball

Uranium has been used to color the glass for almost 2 millennia. Uranium oxide mixed to the glass produces a yellow to greenish hue. This uranium-colored glass object was found near Naples, Italy, and dated to about 79 A.D. A major group baseball weighs about 5.25 ounces whereas a uranium baseball would weigh over 8.5 pounds!