CAS GE 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Nuclear Matter, Deuterium, Nuclear Technology
19 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Natural uranium is radioactive and present in most rocks and soils as well as in many rivers and in sea water. Ur"s radioactive decay provides the main source of heat in the earth"s core. 2 principal isotopes are u-238 and u-235. Property of ur important for nuclear power and weapons is its ability to fission or split into 2 lighter fragments when bombarded w/ neutrons, releasing energy. The products of the splitting of the nucleus have a mass < the mass of the nucleus of the original atom. The lost mass is converted to energy, mostly heat: because the process generates more neutrons than are required to stimulate the reaction, a chain reaction is possible, and the process of fission becomes self-sustaining. The most common mineral form of ur is u3o8, or oxide. Most ur resources concentrated in a few nations; australia has 31%,
