Uranium!

**URANIUM!** By Karen and Cassandra

media type="custom" key="7995846"

toc =__ 1.) Introduction: __= Welcome to Uranium's page.  Uranium is a very important element, that has an atomic number of 92, atomic weight of 238.0289 amu (atomic mass units), it is in the Rare Earth group and its electron configuration is [Rn] 5f3 6d1 7s2.

media type="custom" key="7960122" width="100" height="99" media type="youtube" key="B8vVZTvJNGk?fs=1" height="346" width="432" align="right"


 * Element name || Atomic Number || Symbol || Atomic Weight || Element Group || Electron Configuration ||
 * Uranium || 92 || U || 238.02891 || Rare Earth || [Rn] 5f3 6d1 7s2 ||

Uranium has a silverish color and at 293 K (67.73 degress Fahrenheit) its density is 18.95g/cm3. Uranium is a heavy silvery-white metal that is capable of igniting sponetaneously in the air when finely divided. Uranium has been used for several purposes, but its most common and recent use is fuel for nuclear reactors. Uranium is used in pottery glazes, glassworks, high energy x-rays and high density bullets. Uranium is obtained from many rocks, and its primary mining areas are in Canada, Zaire, Czech Republic and the United States. Uranium has 92 protons and 146 neutrons in uranium-238. Uranium is most notorious for being used in the Uranium bomb in World War II at Hiroshima where it destoryed 2/3 of the city, killed over 60,000 people and injured many more. Many of those injured people received burns on their body when the heat rays. Uranium has many different isotopes which all have a purpose, whether it be to be used in a nuclear reactor or to help with cancer. Uranium is an excellent element because it has importance in human health, the environment and the economy.

__** 2.) History of Uranium **__:
Uranium was discovered in 1789 by Martin Klaproth. Martin Klaproth (1743-1817) was a German chemist who discovered three elements; Uranium, Zirconium and Cerium, although he did not have them in their purest metallic state. Uranium was named after Uranus which had been discovered 8 years before. Uranus, in Roman myths was "Father Heaven". In 1841, a French chemist named Eugene-Melchoir Peligot isolated Uranium, by reducing the anhydrous chloride with potassium. In 1896, Antoine Becquerel, who won a Nobel Prize in Physics, discovered its radioactivity. Before Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann discovered its nuclear fission in 1939, Uranium was used in yellow fluorescent glass and as a source of radium for medical purposes. Uranium was formed in a supernovae about 6 billion years ago. It is the decay product of elements with higher weights. Uranium occurs in most rocks and minerals in large concentrations, but in low concentrations in the ocean. Uranium is now considered to be more plentiful than mercury, silver or cadium. It occurs in minerals like pitchblende, uraninite, carnotite, uranophane and tobernite. For a long time, Uranium was used as a pigment for glass. Recently, it has been used for fuel in nuclear reactors and in nuclear bombs. In casings of armor piercing arterial shells and armor plating on tanks, DEPLETED Uranium is used. Depleted Uranium is Uranium that has had some of its U-235 contents removed. Uranium's radioactive decay is the Earth's main source of heat and causes convection and continential drifts.The melting temperature for Uranium is 1132 degrees Celsius, which is about 2069 degrees fahrenheit. The use of Uranium dates back to at least 79 AD, when it was used to color glases. Mining Uranium and making Uranium useful costs money, how much money are we talking here? In 2006 it was estimated that over $770 billion were being spent on Uranium worldwide. Most of the money being spent on Uranium is for the use of nuclear weapons and the country spending the most money on it is the United States. Both the United States and Canada have over 200 million tons of Uranium which contain 85% of their original radioactivity. In 1934 Enrico Fermi, an Italian physicist, observed that the bombardment of Uranium by neutrons produced radioactivity. In 1942, the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was achieved and in 1945, the first nuclear weapon was used in World War II at Hiroshima. In January 1939, Lise Meitner and her nephew Otto Frisch suggested that when the Uranium atom split, both halves would be positively charged and would repel each other powerfully. Niels Bohr brought the news to the United States and many scientists realized that its effects could be devastating. When they realized this, they wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He then set up a committee that would work on this matter. In 1941, scientists in Great Britain gave an outline for the materials necessary in order to make the atom bomb. J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team of scientists designed two types of bombs, one Uranium bomb and one Plutonium bomb. They named the Uranium bomb "Little Boy" and the Plutonium bomb "Fat Man".

** __3.) Economics: How is Uranium economically important?__ **__:__
Uranium is abundant element that has great economic value. In northern Arizona alone 35 million pounds of minable Uranium have been found. The price of Uranium is  based on how much Uranium a mining company has in stock, how much they will be getting soon, and/or how much they plan to mine in the future. The world’slargest mining area of Uranium is South America closely followed by Australia. There was a boom of Uranium production in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 2006 the world produced a total of 102.8 million pounds of Uranium as U3O8. The price of Uranium has increased greatly over time. From January of 2002 to December of 2006 alone, Uranium prices increased $62.30 over the 5 year period. (In the table below the price is in US dollars per pound of Uranium of U3O8).
 * ** Year ** || ** Jan ** || ** Feb ** || ** Mar ** || ** Apr ** || ** May ** || ** Jun ** || ** Jul ** || ** Aug ** || ** Sep ** || ** Oct ** || ** Nov ** || ** Dec ** ||
 *  ** Prices from 1968-2001, and 2007-present are available to clients only. ** ||
 * ** 2002 ** || 9.70 || 9.95 || 9.75 || 9.90 || 9.90 || 9.90 || 9.85 || 9.85 || 9.75 || 9.90 || 9.85 || 10.20 ||
 * ** 2003 ** || 10.10 || 10.10 || 10.10 || 11.00 || 10.90 || 10.90 || 11.20 || 11.30 || 12.25 || 12.70 || 13.75 || 14.40 ||
 * ** 2004 ** || 15.60 || 16.75 || 17.75 || 17.75 || 17.75 || 18.50 || 18.50 || 20.00 || 20.00 || 20.20 || 20.50 || 20.50 ||
 * ** 2005 ** || 21.20 || 21.75 || 22.60 || 26.00 || 29.00 || 29.00 || 29.50 || 30.00 || 32.00 || 33.25 || 35.00 || 36.50 ||
 * ** 2006 ** || 37.50 || 38.75 || 41.00 || 41.50 || 43.00 || 46.00 || 47.50 || 52.00 || 55.75 || 60.25 || 64.00 || 72.00 ||
 * ** Year ** || ** Jan ** || ** Feb ** || ** Mar ** || ** Apr ** || ** May ** || ** Jun ** || ** Jul ** || ** Aug ** || ** Sep ** || ** Oct ** || ** Nov ** || ** Dec ** ||

Uranium is economically important because it is used in many ways. One main use of Uranium is with military weaponry. Depleted Uranium is used as a coating to protect tanks, bullets, and missiles. The first atomic bomb used in war was a Uranium bomb, in which there was enough Uranium-235 that when they underwent nuclear fission created a massive fireball explosion. Uranium's most common use, however, is in nuclear power. Nuclear plants use several isotopes of Uranium to create manageable and effective energy. One example is Uranium-238, which is used by nuclear plants to make fissionable Plutonium. 238 U(n, gamma) → 239 U -- (beta) → 239 Np -- (beta)→239 Pu. Uranium is even used in some phosphate fertilizers. Since Uranium is radioactive and has such a long half life it is used with radiometric dating of rocks and fossils. Uranium-238 has been used to estimate the earliest igneous rock.

__** 4.) Environment: Where is found in nature? What role does it play in nature? **__:
Uranium is so abundant in our world that there are small amounts of it spread all over the world. Uranium can be found naturally in the environment in rocks, soil, water, and in the air. Most Uranium that we use is obtained by mining. Uranium concentrations in the air are actually so small that even in an area of higher concentration there is only oneatom that transfers per day per cubic foot. Uranium concentrations are relatively low in water and soil, and are usually at higher concentrations in areas where erosion of nearby rocks have released Uranium into them. Uranium is found in rocks and minerals in nature. Uranium, however is never found in nature in its purest form. Many tons of Uranium ore have to be mined to make just ONE pound on Uranium! One it is in its purest state, it must be purified again so that it can be used in things like Uranium bombs and nuclear reactors. Human-kind has been using Uranium for such a long time, more than 500 years! But it was mostly used for pigments in glass and for painting up until the 1900s. Uranium is a naturally occuring element found at low levels in almost all rocks, water and soil. Because Uranium has such a long radioactive half-life, the total amount of it on earth stays almost all the time. The Uranium in soil and rocks can be spread around the environment by wind and rain. The manufacturing of Uranium and other humanactivities can also release Uranium into the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency of the United States, under the Clean Air Act, limit the amount of Uranium in the air. The Uranium in drinking water is also being protected under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The Clean Air Act is a law that regulates air emissions of hazardous pollutants from local homes. The Safe Drinking Water Act developed a couple rules to make sure that drinking water is safe. It requires regular water tests and gives a list of acceptable ways of cleaning contaminated water.

The video below (left) describes the environmental and health effects of the Olympic Dam mine in South Australia. The video below (right) explores how Uranium is found. media type="youtube" key="lgIWbeP1P-s?fs=1" height="207" width="370" align="left"

media type="youtube" key="v9DsOyWsNp0?fs=1" height="268" width="336" align="right"

__** 5.) Health: How does Uranium affect human health? **__:
Uranium is very relevant when it comes to health. In World War II in Hiroshima, when the first nuclear weapon was used, its devastating effects were shown. However, Uranium's isotopes have also been shown as very helpful when it comes to medicine. Radiological and chemical toxicity can be caused by too much exposure to Uranium. This can be caused by breathing air containing Uranium dusts or by eating things that have Uranium, which then enter the bloodstream. Once Uranium is in the bloodstream, the kidneys try and filter it, which causes damage to the kidneys. Very high Uranium intake can cause kidney failure and death. At low intakes, Uranium can be detected and the kidneys heal over a period of several weeks, after the Uranium exposure has stopped. Some health effects have been connected with human exposure to the radiation from Uranium. People who work at or live near nuclear power plants have increased exposure to Uranium and they can suffer from several health problems. Some forms of Uranium have been shown to cause birth defects and damage to animals' immune system. Exposure to depleted Uranium can lead to increased risk of lung cancer, as was shown by studies on Uranium miners, but this is shown by exposure to radon decay products. More potential health effects from exposure to depleted Uranium include kidney problems, lung tissue damage, risks for radiation-induced cancers, including leukemia. Erythema, which is the inflammation of the skin, can be caused by exposure. It hasn't been confirmed yet, but there have been studies that Uranium can accumulate in the central nervous system and cause damage. This damage results from the chemical properties of Uranium as a heavy metal not its radioactive properties.Excessive exposure to radiation can cause cancer, including leukemia. In order for Uranium to cause cancer, they must be in the body in large amounts; large enough so that they can be detected by scientific instruments, which by that time, unfortunately the Uranium will have already caused severe kidney damage. The more radioactive an element is, the more likely exposure to it will cause cancer. In 1991, during a military operation, many soldiers were diagnosed with extreme exposure to Uranium. They suffered from rashes, cataracts, kidney problems and respiratory difficulties. Animal studies have shown that their offspring can suffer from skeletal malformations due to oral intake of Uranium. A small amount of Uranium will remain in the bones of humans for a few years. There are tests available for people who think they may have a large amount of Uranium in their system and all it requires is a small urine sample. Uranium miners have also suffered from tumors of the lymphatic tissues because of inhalation exposure. Radioactive isotopes help the technologies that provide humans with water, good health and food. For medicine, radioactive isotopes are used for research and diagnosis. Uranium is used in x-rays which provide us with information people's anatomy and organs. Radiotherapy uses radioactive isotopes in the treatment of illnesses like cancer. Some powerful gamma sources are used to clean syringes and other medical instruments. A radioisotope formed in nuclear reactors are used in fire detectors. Many countries, like South Africa, have used Uranium medicinally. Check out the video below for more information. media type="youtube" key="OlxUFvUszjM?fs=1" height="268" width="448"

__** 6.) Chemistry and Physics of Uranium **__:
Uranium is an interesting element that has many different chemical and physical traits that make it an unique element. Uranium is heavy and a silver-white color. Uranium has an atomic number of 92, and an atomic mass average of 238.0289 u. Uranium has a density of 19.05 g/cm^3 making it the most dense naturally occurring element, with a density almost twice that of lead. At room temperature Uranium is a solid. Uranium has a melting point of 1135°C, and has a boiling point of Uranium is 4131°C. Uranium reacts with the air and becomes coated with an oxide layer. When finely divided, this radioactive metal ignites spontaneously. As a metal Uranium is both malleabe and ductile. Uranium has an electronegativity of 1.7.


 * Isotopes: **

Uranium has 16 radioactive isotopes. Since Uranium is radioactive it is affected by radioactive decay, particularly alpha and beta decay. When going through the chain of decay Uranium forms several different elements. One example of Uranium decay is that of U-238, “U-238 decays by alpha emission (half-life 4.47E9 years, energy 4.196 MeV) into thorium Th-234. Th-234 decays by beta emission (half-life 24.1 days, energy 0.198 MeV) into protactinium Pa-234. Pa-234 decays by beta emission (half-life 1.75 min, energy 2.229 MeV) into U-234 -- the U234 isotope is a disintegration product of the parent U238.” This chain is just one part of the world of isotopes of Uranium. The traits of these isotopes are widely different due to fractionation which includes phase change, partial melting, crystallization, partitioning, dissolution, adsorption, degassing, oxidation/reduction, and complexation.
 * ** Isotope ** || ** Half Life ** ||
 * U-230 || 20.8 days ||
 * U-231 || 4.2 days ||
 * U-232 || 70.0 years ||
 * U-233 || 159000.0 years ||
 * U-234 || 247000.0 years ||
 * U-235 || 7.0004E8 years ||
 * U-236 || 2.34E7 years ||
 * U-237 || 6.75 days ||
 * U-238 || 4.47E9 years ||
 * U-239 || 23.5 minutes ||
 * U-240 || 14.1 hours ||

Since Uranium is radioactive it releases radiation. Most of the radiation released is alpha and beta, as shown in the following video. media type="youtube" key="-b795eATe1M?fs=1" height="307" width="384"

__** 7.) Interesting Facts on Uranium: **__
Click on the powerpoint below to read the fascinating summary of Uranium and more interesting facts. The powerpoint will briefly discuss the history of Uranium, its uses and other interesting facts with its amazing hosts, Karen and Cassie!



Bibliography

1.[] Uranium | Uranium for Nuclear Power." //World Nuclear Association | Nuclear Power - a Sustainable Energy Resource//. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. __2.[]__ uranium (U) (chemical element) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." //Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. __3.[]__

__4.[]__

__5. World Health Organization. Depleted Uranium factsheet;[]__

__6. FAQs on Uranium; []__ Fallon Nevada: FAQs: Uranium | CDC HSB." //Centers for Disease Control and Prevention//. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. __7.[]__

8.[]

__9.[|Global Military Spending; http://www.theglobaleducationproject.org/earth/weapons.php]__ Global Military Spending, Weapons Exports, Depleted Uranium, Nuclear Weapons - Earth Web Site." //Earth//. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2011.

__10. [|Not Everything that Glitters is Gold; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgIWbeP1P-s]__ <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> __11.[|South Africa using Uranium Medically;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlxUFvUszjM]__ <span style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">AlJazeeraEnglish. " YouTube - S Africa in medical use of uranium ." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.//. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. __12. October 2010. "Uranium." []__ <span style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">Uranium | Radiation Protection Program | US EPA." //US Environmental Protection Agency//. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. __13. Nuclear Regulatory Commission []__ <span style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">Product Material. "NRC: Frequently Asked Questions about Depleted Uranium Deconversion Facilities." //NRC: Home Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. __14..[]__

__15.__ []