Uranium+2

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**Uranium ** =**__Introduction-__**= Uranium is a silvery-white metallic element. Located in the actinide series of the periodic table. Uranium has an atomic number of 92. A single uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons of these there are 6 valance electrons. Uranium is mildly radioactive. Having a density 70% greater than lead. Many use Uranium 233 and 235 to power nuclear reactors and for non-thermal nuclear weapons. Uranium 238 can be used for Depleted Uranium.

=**__Economics-__**= Uranium plays a crucial role in our lives on a global scale. Since this element is pretty omnipresent, found in various earth mediums and sea water; many countries exploit Uranium's potential in both military and civilian sectors. An initial Uranium economic exploration, which was military motivated, occurred between 1945 to 1958. A second cycle around 1974 to 1983 was driven by the civilian sector. Based on the silly perception Uranium might be very scarce. Countries that have high percentages of known recovorable Uranium can profit greatly since Uranium can be utilized in various ways. __ **Known Recoverable Resources of Uranium 2009 ** __ || || **tonnes U ** Reasonably Assured Resources plus Inferred Resources, to US$ 130/kg U, 1/1/09, from OECD NEA & IAEA, //Uranium 2009: Resources, Production and Demand// ("Red Book").(A Tonne usually referes to as a metric ton is a unit of mass equal to 1,000kg = 2,205lbs) =**__Economic Importance in Civillian Sector__**=
 * **percentage of world ** ||
 * **Australia ** || 1,673,000 || 31% ||
 * **Kazakhstan ** || 651,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">12% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Canada ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">485,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">9% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Russia ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">480,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">9% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">South Africa ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">295,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">5% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Namibia ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">284,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">5% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Brazil ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">279,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">5% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Niger ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">272,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">5% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">USA ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">207,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">4% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">China ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">171,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">3% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Jordan ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">112,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">2% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Uzbekistan ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">111,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">2% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Ukraine ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">105,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">2% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">India ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">80,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">1.5% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Mongolia ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">49,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">1% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">other ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">150,000 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">3% ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">World total ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">5,404,000 ** ||  ||
 * ======Uranium is excellent for nuclear fuel. //Uramium 238// can be converted in to fissionable plutonium. Used to produce energy in nuclear power plants. With energy consumption on the rise, countries are looking for ways to generate power other than coal and oil, Nuclear energy is a viable solution.======
 * Uranium is also used in the Civillian Medical Field, dating of materials and also pottery in the past.

Map 1- Reactors that are licensed to operate in the US. Map 2- Reactor locations on a Global Scale

=__**Economic Importance in Military Sector**__= There will be more on uranium uses in the "Use" section
 * Uranium is keystone in Military Weaponary.
 * Depleted Uranium is used with high velocity rounds against heavily armored targets. Depleted uranium can also be used as an excellent shield due to its high density and physical properties.
 * Gyroscopic Compasses and inertial guidance systems.
 * Enriched Uranium can be used to produce atomic weapons.

=**__Possible Health Effects of Uranium-__**= Toxity from Uranium can be caused by breathing air contamineted with Uranium dust or sonsuming an object tainted with Uranium. Which then enters the circulatory system and effects the kidneys. Since Uranium isotopes emit alpha particles which maintain little penetration abilities, main radiation hazards come from strong concentrated large quanaties of Uranium. Which can cause cancer.

There are conflicting reports that depleted uranium used for armor piercing rounds and armor, may have caused illness and even death for civillians and soldiers who have come in contact with the "harmless" weaponary. Such cases have been reported in Iraq. =__**History of Uranium's Discovery and Use**__= Uranium got its' name from the planet Uranus, and as a part of Roman mythology considered "Father Heaven." It was first found in Naples, Italy back in 79 A.D. when it was discovered in the form of a yellow gas. In its' solid form it was found in Germany back in 1789 by Martin Heinrich Klaproth as an "unknown element" extracted from the mineral called pitchblende. At first this element was believed to be rare, but today it's more abundant than commonly found mercury and silver. Scientists believe it was formed by a super nova over 6.6 billion years ago as a result of the decay from other elements. In the present day it's used as a great source of nuclear fuel in the form of Uranium-238 that's converted into plutonium from several reactions. Once converted, it's stored in breeder reactors that convert it to an even more fissionable state, therefore easier to use. An even more efficient isotope of the element is Uranium-235 because it's highly fissionable (1). =__**Where Uranium is Found in the Environment**__= Uranium is most commonly found in rock formations and extracted from minerals such as uranophane, tobernite, and carnotite. It has a high abundance in nature. The United States is gaining more knowledge of uranium reserves within the country due to the Department of Energy purchasing the element in a concentrated form from other countries. It's a naturally occuring element in ore and many of the rocks that make up the Earth's crust (2).

=__**Chemistry and Physics of Uranium**__= Uranium has an electronegativity of 1.3, which is relatively high. It's incompatible with the elements carbon dioxide, carbon tetrachloride, nitric acid, and fluorine. It's physically described as a very heavy silver-ish radioactive metal. The most common natural isotopes are U-234, U-235, and U-238, all of which are considered to be alpha radioactive. U-235 is the only one that can be utilized for nuclear power because it has enough free neutrons to start a nuclear chain reaction. U-238, which is the most common of the three isotopes, has the ability to be converted into plutonium-239 which can then be used for nuclear power. Uranium is classified as an actinide metal in the 7th period on the periodic table (3).


 * Average Atomic Mass || 238.0239 ||
 * Boiling Point || 7473°F ||
 * Melting Point || 2070°F ||
 * Specific Heat || 0.12 J/gK ||
 * Hardness || 6 Mohs ||

=**__Conflicts Over Uranium__**= Although a great source of renewable energy that can help the United States reduce our dependence on foreign oil, Uranium has aroused conflicts between our country and countries such as North Korea and Iran. Both of these countries have well-researched (or in the process of being developed) programs involving the use of nuclear weapons or bombs or missles. In attempts of keeping the peace with North Korea, an agreement was signed in 1994 to prevent the country from further developments in nuclear weapons. However, they recently admitted they have not been keeping up with their agreement and have been investing into more dangerous things such as long range ballistics missles. They have even begun selling them to other Middle Eastern an Asian countries for their own personal benefits (4). The United States has also run into similar problems with Iran over their nuclear weapons program that they are building up and refuse to cease. If handled the wrong way, these nuclear weapons enriched with the powerful element Uranium could lead to another catastrophe more significant than Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

[|Click Here to View a Video about Uranium!]

=**__Did you know...?__**= That Uranium is the element that was used in the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II? 'Little Boy', the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, contained U-235 that created an explosion of 15 kilotons; and 'Fat Man' the bomb used on Nagasaki, was surrounded by a core of uranium that ignited the explosion. As you can tell from the disaster caused by these two bombs during the war that Uranium is a dangerous element when enriched.



__**Sources**__ > [|http://EnvironmentalChemistry.com/yogi/periodic/U.html] (3)
 * "It's Elemental - The Element Uranium." //Science Education at Jefferson Lab//. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele092.html>.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Kenneth Barbalace. Periodic Table of Elements - Uranium - U. EnvironmentalChemistry.com. 1995 - 2011. Accessed on-line: 1/19/2011
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Muravchik, Joshua. "Facing up to North Korea." //Commentary// 115.3 (2003): 33+. //Literature Resource Center//. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. (4)
 * //Review of the toxicologic and radiologic risks to military personnel from exposures to depleted uranium during and after combat// . Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2008. Print.
 * "Supply of Uranium." //World Nuclear Acossiation//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2011. [|www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf75.html].
 * "Uranium." Web. 19 Jan. 2011. []. (2)
 * "Uranium." //Encyclopedia of Earth//. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. []. (1)
 * "Uranium." //Uranium//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2011. <periodic.lanl.gov/elements/92.html >.
 * "Uranium | Uranium for Nuclear Power." //World Nuclear Association | Nuclear Power - a Sustainable Energy Resource//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. [].
 * Zoellner, Tom. //Uranium: war, energy, and the rock that shaped the world//. New York: Viking, 2009. Print.