Uranium

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.

Characteristics[edit | edit source]

Uranium is weakly radioactive because all isotopes of uranium are unstable; the two naturally occurring isotopes with significant half-lives are Uranium-235 and Uranium-238. When refined, uranium is a silvery white, weakly radioactive metal, which is slightly softer than steel, and is malleable, ductile, and slightly paramagnetic.

Isotopes[edit | edit source]

Uranium has the highest atomic weight of the naturally occurring elements. Its two principal isotopes are Uranium-235 and Uranium-238 with 143 and 146 neutrons respectively. Uranium-235 is the only naturally occurring fissile isotope. It makes up approximately 0.72% of natural uranium.

Uses[edit | edit source]

The primary use of uranium in the civilian sector is to fuel nuclear power plants. One kilogram of uranium-235 can theoretically produce about 20 terajoules of energy (2 million times more than natural gas). Uranium is also used in the military sector for high-density penetrators.

Health effects[edit | edit source]

Exposure to uranium can result in both chemical and radiological toxicity. The use of Depleted uranium in munitions is controversial because of questions about potential long-term health effects.

See also[edit | edit source]

Group	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
	Hydrogen & alkali metals	Alkaline earth metals											Triels	Tetrels	Pnictogens	Chalcogens	Halogens	Noble gases
Period 1	[[ hydrogen \|Hydrogen1H1.0080]]																	[[ helium \|Helium2He4.0026]]
2	[[ lithium \|Lithium3Li6.94]]	[[ beryllium \|Beryllium4Be9.0122]]											[[ boron \|Boron5B10.81]]	[[ carbon \|Carbon6C12.011]]	[[ nitrogen \|Nitrogen7N14.007]]	[[ oxygen \|Oxygen8O15.999]]	[[ fluorine \|Fluorine9F18.998]]	[[ neon \|Neon10Ne20.180]]
3	[[ sodium \|Sodium11Na22.990]]	[[ magnesium \|Magnesium12Mg24.305]]											[[ aluminium \|Aluminium13Al26.982]]	[[ silicon \|Silicon14Si28.085]]	[[ phosphorus\|Phosphorus15P30.974]]	[[ sulfur \|Sulfur16S32.06]]	[[ chlorine \|Chlorine17Cl35.45]]	[[ argon \|Argon18Ar39.95]]
4	[[ potassium \|Potassium19K39.098]]	[[ calcium \|Calcium20Ca40.078]]	[[ scandium \|Scandium21Sc44.956]]	[[ titanium \|Titanium22Ti47.867]]	[[ vanadium \|Vanadium23V50.942]]	[[ chromium \|Chromium24Cr51.996]]	[[ manganese \|Manganese25Mn54.938]]	[[ iron \|Iron26Fe55.845]]	[[ cobalt \|Cobalt27Co58.933]]	[[ nickel \|Nickel28Ni58.693]]	[[ copper \|Copper29Cu63.546]]	[[ zinc \|Zinc30Zn65.38]]	[[ gallium \|Gallium31Ga69.723]]	[[ germanium \|Germanium32Ge72.630]]	[[ arsenic \|Arsenic33As74.922]]	[[ selenium \|Selenium34Se78.971]]	[[ bromine \|Bromine35Br79.904]]	[[ krypton \|Krypton36Kr83.798]]
5	[[ rubidium \|Rubidium37Rb85.468]]	[[ strontium \|Strontium38Sr87.62]]	[[ yttrium \|Yttrium39Y88.906]]	[[ zirconium \|Zirconium40Zr91.224]]	[[ niobium \|Niobium41Nb92.906]]	[[ molybdenum\|Molybdenum42Mo95.95]]	[[ technetium\|Technetium43Tc[97]]]	[[ ruthenium \|Ruthenium44Ru101.07]]	[[ rhodium \|Rhodium45Rh102.91]]	[[ palladium \|Palladium46Pd106.42]]	[[ silver \|Silver47Ag107.87]]	[[ cadmium \|Cadmium48Cd112.41]]	[[ indium \|Indium49In114.82]]	[[ tin \|Tin50Sn118.71]]	[[ antimony \|Antimony51Sb121.76]]	[[ tellurium \|Tellurium52Te127.60]]	[[ iodine \|Iodine53I126.90]]	[[ xenon \|Xenon54Xe131.29]]
6	[[ caesium \|Caesium55Cs132.91]]	[[ barium \|Barium56Ba137.33]]	[[ lutetium \|Lutetium71Lu174.97]]	[[ hafnium \|Hafnium72Hf178.49]]	[[ tantalum \|Tantalum73Ta180.95]]	[[ tungsten \|Tungsten74W183.84]]	[[ rhenium \|Rhenium75Re186.21]]	[[ osmium \|Osmium76Os190.23]]	[[ iridium \|Iridium77Ir192.22]]	[[ platinum \|Platinum78Pt195.08]]	[[ gold \|Gold79Au196.97]]	[[ Mercury (element)\|Mercury80Hg200.59]]	[[ thallium \|Thallium81Tl204.38]]	[[ lead \|Lead82Pb207.2]]	[[ bismuth \|Bismuth83Bi208.98]]	[[ polonium \|Polonium84Po[209]]]	[[ astatine \|Astatine85At[210]]]	[[ radon \|Radon86Rn[222]]]
7	[[ francium \|Francium87Fr[223]]]	[[ radium \|Radium88Ra[226]]]	[[ lawrencium \|Lawrencium103Lr[266]]]	[[ rutherfordium\|Rutherfordium104Rf[267]]]	[[ dubnium \|Dubnium105Db[268]]]	[[ seaborgium \|Seaborgium106Sg[269]]]	[[ bohrium \|Bohrium107Bh[270]]]	[[ hassium \|Hassium108Hs[269]]]	[[ meitnerium \|Meitnerium109Mt[278]]]	[[ darmstadtium \|Darmstadtium110Ds[281]]]	[[ roentgenium \|Roentgenium111Rg[282]]]	[[ copernicium \|Copernicium112Cn[285]]]	[[ nihonium \|Nihonium113Nh[286]]]	[[ flerovium \|Flerovium114Fl[289]]]	[[ moscovium \|Moscovium115Mc[290]]]	[[ livermorium \|Livermorium116Lv[293]]]	[[ tennessine \|Tennessine117Ts[294]]]	[[ oganesson \|Oganesson118Og[294]]]

			[[ lanthanum \|Lanthanum57La138.91]]	[[ cerium \|Cerium58Ce140.12]]	[[ praseodymium\|Praseodymium59Pr140.91]]	[[ neodymium \|Neodymium60Nd144.24]]	[[ promethium \|Promethium61Pm[145]]]	[[ samarium \|Samarium62Sm150.36]]	[[ europium \|Europium63Eu151.96]]	[[ gadolinium \|Gadolinium64Gd157.25]]	[[ terbium \|Terbium65Tb158.93]]	[[ dysprosium \|Dysprosium66Dy162.50]]	[[ holmium \|Holmium67Ho164.93]]	[[ erbium \|Erbium68Er167.26]]	[[ thulium \|Thulium69Tm168.93]]	[[ ytterbium \|Ytterbium70Yb173.05]]
			[[ actinium \|Actinium89Ac[227]]]	[[ thorium \|Thorium90Th232.04]]	[[ protactinium\|Protactinium91Pa231.04]]	[[ uranium \|Uranium92U238.03]]	[[ neptunium \|Neptunium93Np[237]]]	[[ plutonium \|Plutonium94Pu[244]]]	[[ americium \|Americium95Am[243]]]	[[ curium \|Curium96Cm[247]]]	[[ berkelium \|Berkelium97Bk[247]]]	[[ californium \|Californium98Cf[251]]]	[[ einsteinium \|Einsteinium99Es[252]]]	[[ fermium \|Fermium100Fm[257]]]	[[ mendelevium\|Mendelevium101Md[258]]]	[[ nobelium \|Nobelium102No[259]]]

Primordial From decay Synthetic Border shows natural occurrence of the element

Standard atomic weight A_{r, std}(E)^[1]

Ca: 40.078

— Abridged value (uncertainty omitted here)^[2]

Po: [209] — mass number of the most stable isotope

style="padding:0 1px; background:#ff9999

" | s-block

style="padding:0 1px; background:#9bff99

" | f-block

style="padding:0 1px; background:#99ccff

" | d-block

style="padding:0 1px; background:#fdff8c

" | p-block

This chemistry-related article is a stub. You can help WikiMD by expanding it.

This physics-related article is a stub. You can help WikiMD by expanding it.

↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CIAAW2013
↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CIAAW2021

Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index‏‎ - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes

Search WikiMD

Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD

WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia

Let Food Be Thy Medicine
Medicine Thy Food - Hippocrates

Translate this page: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, தமிழ், తెలుగు, Urdu, ಕನ್ನಡ, Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, বাংলা
European español, Deutsch, français, Greek, português do Brasil, polski, română, русский, Nederlands, norsk, svenska, suomi, Italian
Middle Eastern & African عربى, Turkish, Persian, Hebrew, Afrikaans, isiZulu, Kiswahili,
Other Bulgarian, Hungarian, Czech, Swedish, മലയാളം, मराठी, ਪੰਜਾਬੀ, ગુજરાતી, Portuguese, Ukrainian

Medical Disclaimer: WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. The information on WikiMD is provided as an information resource only, may be incorrect, outdated or misleading, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. WikiMD expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site. By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, which may from time to time be changed or supplemented by WikiMD. If you do not agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, you should not enter or use this site. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.

[CIAAW2013-1] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CIAAW2013

[CIAAW2021-2] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CIAAW2021

[1]

[2]

v t e Chemical elements
Periodic table	Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Period 4 Period 5 Period 6 Period 7 Period 8 (predicted)
By block	s-block p-block d-block f-block g-block (predicted)
By metallicity	Alkali metals Alkaline earth metals Lanthanides Actinides Transition metals Post-transition metals Metalloids Reactive nonmetals Noble gases Unknown chemical properties
Other	List of chemical elements List of chemical elements naming controversies List of scientists whose names are used in chemical element names List of places used in the names of chemical elements List of chemical element name etymologies History of the periodic table Discovery of the chemical elements
This Chemical elements related article is a stub.

Group	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
	Hydrogen & alkali metals	Alkaline earth metals											Triels	Tetrels	Pnictogens	Chalcogens	Halogens	Noble gases
Period 1	[[ hydrogen \|Hydrogen1H1.0080]]																	[[ helium \|Helium2He4.0026]]
2	[[ lithium \|Lithium3Li6.94]]	[[ beryllium \|Beryllium4Be9.0122]]											[[ boron \|Boron5B10.81]]	[[ carbon \|Carbon6C12.011]]	[[ nitrogen \|Nitrogen7N14.007]]	[[ oxygen \|Oxygen8O15.999]]	[[ fluorine \|Fluorine9F18.998]]	[[ neon \|Neon10Ne20.180]]
3	[[ sodium \|Sodium11Na22.990]]	[[ magnesium \|Magnesium12Mg24.305]]											[[ aluminium \|Aluminium13Al26.982]]	[[ silicon \|Silicon14Si28.085]]	[[ phosphorus\|Phosphorus15P30.974]]	[[ sulfur \|Sulfur16S32.06]]	[[ chlorine \|Chlorine17Cl35.45]]	[[ argon \|Argon18Ar39.95]]
4	[[ potassium \|Potassium19K39.098]]	[[ calcium \|Calcium20Ca40.078]]	[[ scandium \|Scandium21Sc44.956]]	[[ titanium \|Titanium22Ti47.867]]	[[ vanadium \|Vanadium23V50.942]]	[[ chromium \|Chromium24Cr51.996]]	[[ manganese \|Manganese25Mn54.938]]	[[ iron \|Iron26Fe55.845]]	[[ cobalt \|Cobalt27Co58.933]]	[[ nickel \|Nickel28Ni58.693]]	[[ copper \|Copper29Cu63.546]]	[[ zinc \|Zinc30Zn65.38]]	[[ gallium \|Gallium31Ga69.723]]	[[ germanium \|Germanium32Ge72.630]]	[[ arsenic \|Arsenic33As74.922]]	[[ selenium \|Selenium34Se78.971]]	[[ bromine \|Bromine35Br79.904]]	[[ krypton \|Krypton36Kr83.798]]
5	[[ rubidium \|Rubidium37Rb85.468]]	[[ strontium \|Strontium38Sr87.62]]	[[ yttrium \|Yttrium39Y88.906]]	[[ zirconium \|Zirconium40Zr91.224]]	[[ niobium \|Niobium41Nb92.906]]	[[ molybdenum\|Molybdenum42Mo95.95]]	[[ technetium\|Technetium43Tc[97]]]	[[ ruthenium \|Ruthenium44Ru101.07]]	[[ rhodium \|Rhodium45Rh102.91]]	[[ palladium \|Palladium46Pd106.42]]	[[ silver \|Silver47Ag107.87]]	[[ cadmium \|Cadmium48Cd112.41]]	[[ indium \|Indium49In114.82]]	[[ tin \|Tin50Sn118.71]]	[[ antimony \|Antimony51Sb121.76]]	[[ tellurium \|Tellurium52Te127.60]]	[[ iodine \|Iodine53I126.90]]	[[ xenon \|Xenon54Xe131.29]]
6	[[ caesium \|Caesium55Cs132.91]]	[[ barium \|Barium56Ba137.33]]	[[ lutetium \|Lutetium71Lu174.97]]	[[ hafnium \|Hafnium72Hf178.49]]	[[ tantalum \|Tantalum73Ta180.95]]	[[ tungsten \|Tungsten74W183.84]]	[[ rhenium \|Rhenium75Re186.21]]	[[ osmium \|Osmium76Os190.23]]	[[ iridium \|Iridium77Ir192.22]]	[[ platinum \|Platinum78Pt195.08]]	[[ gold \|Gold79Au196.97]]	[[ Mercury (element)\|Mercury80Hg200.59]]	[[ thallium \|Thallium81Tl204.38]]	[[ lead \|Lead82Pb207.2]]	[[ bismuth \|Bismuth83Bi208.98]]	[[ polonium \|Polonium84Po[209]]]	[[ astatine \|Astatine85At[210]]]	[[ radon \|Radon86Rn[222]]]
7	[[ francium \|Francium87Fr[223]]]	[[ radium \|Radium88Ra[226]]]	[[ lawrencium \|Lawrencium103Lr[266]]]	[[ rutherfordium\|Rutherfordium104Rf[267]]]	[[ dubnium \|Dubnium105Db[268]]]	[[ seaborgium \|Seaborgium106Sg[269]]]	[[ bohrium \|Bohrium107Bh[270]]]	[[ hassium \|Hassium108Hs[269]]]	[[ meitnerium \|Meitnerium109Mt[278]]]	[[ darmstadtium \|Darmstadtium110Ds[281]]]	[[ roentgenium \|Roentgenium111Rg[282]]]	[[ copernicium \|Copernicium112Cn[285]]]	[[ nihonium \|Nihonium113Nh[286]]]	[[ flerovium \|Flerovium114Fl[289]]]	[[ moscovium \|Moscovium115Mc[290]]]	[[ livermorium \|Livermorium116Lv[293]]]	[[ tennessine \|Tennessine117Ts[294]]]	[[ oganesson \|Oganesson118Og[294]]]

			[[ lanthanum \|Lanthanum57La138.91]]	[[ cerium \|Cerium58Ce140.12]]	[[ praseodymium\|Praseodymium59Pr140.91]]	[[ neodymium \|Neodymium60Nd144.24]]	[[ promethium \|Promethium61Pm[145]]]	[[ samarium \|Samarium62Sm150.36]]	[[ europium \|Europium63Eu151.96]]	[[ gadolinium \|Gadolinium64Gd157.25]]	[[ terbium \|Terbium65Tb158.93]]	[[ dysprosium \|Dysprosium66Dy162.50]]	[[ holmium \|Holmium67Ho164.93]]	[[ erbium \|Erbium68Er167.26]]	[[ thulium \|Thulium69Tm168.93]]	[[ ytterbium \|Ytterbium70Yb173.05]]
			[[ actinium \|Actinium89Ac[227]]]	[[ thorium \|Thorium90Th232.04]]	[[ protactinium\|Protactinium91Pa231.04]]	[[ uranium \|Uranium92U238.03]]	[[ neptunium \|Neptunium93Np[237]]]	[[ plutonium \|Plutonium94Pu[244]]]	[[ americium \|Americium95Am[243]]]	[[ curium \|Curium96Cm[247]]]	[[ berkelium \|Berkelium97Bk[247]]]	[[ californium \|Californium98Cf[251]]]	[[ einsteinium \|Einsteinium99Es[252]]]	[[ fermium \|Fermium100Fm[257]]]	[[ mendelevium\|Mendelevium101Md[258]]]	[[ nobelium \|Nobelium102No[259]]]