Isotopes of uranium
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Standard atomic weightAr°(U) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Uranium(92U) is a naturally occurringradioactiveelement (radioelement) with nostable isotopes.It has twoprimordial isotopes,uranium-238anduranium-235,that have longhalf-livesand are found in appreciable quantity inEarth's crust.Thedecay producturanium-234is also found. Other isotopes such asuranium-233have been produced inbreeder reactors.In addition to isotopes found in nature or nuclear reactors, many isotopes with far shorter half-lives have been produced, ranging from214U to242U (except for220U). Thestandard atomic weightofnatural uraniumis238.02891(3).
Natural uranium consists of three mainisotopes,238U (99.2739–99.2752%natural abundance),235U (0.7198–0.7202%), and234U (0.0050–0.0059%).[5]All three isotopes areradioactive(i.e., they areradioisotopes), and the most abundant and stable is uranium-238, with a half-life of4.4683×109years(about theage of the Earth).
Uranium-238 is analpha emitter,decaying through the 18-memberuranium seriesintolead-206.Thedecay series of uranium-235(historically called actino-uranium) has 15 members and ends in lead-207. The constant rates of decay in these series makes comparison of the ratios of parent-to-daughter elements useful inradiometric dating.Uranium-233 is made fromthorium-232byneutronbombardment.
Uranium-235 is important for bothnuclear reactors(energy production) andnuclear weaponsbecause it is the only isotope existing in nature to any appreciable extent that isfissilein response tothermal neutrons,i.e., thermalneutron capturehas a high probability of inducing fission. Achain reactioncan be sustained with a large enough (critical) mass of uranium-235. Uranium-238 is also important because it isfertile:it absorbs neutrons to produce a radioactive isotope that decays intoplutonium-239,which also is fissile.
List of isotopes
[edit]
Nuclide [n 1] |
Historic name |
Z | N | Isotopic mass(Da)[6] [n 2][n 3] |
Half-life[1] |
Decay mode[1] [n 4] |
Daughter isotope [n 5][n 6] |
Spinand parity[1] [n 7][n 8] |
Natural abundance(mole fraction) | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Excitation energy[n 8] | Normal proportion[1] | Range of variation | |||||||||||||||||
214U[7] | 92 | 122 | 0.52+0.95 −0.21ms |
α | 210Th | 0+ | |||||||||||||
215U | 92 | 123 | 215.026720(11) | 1.4(0.9) ms | α | 211Th | 5/2−# | ||||||||||||
β+? | 215Pa | ||||||||||||||||||
216U[8] | 92 | 124 | 216.024760(30) | 2.25+0.63 −0.40ms |
α | 212Th | 0+ | ||||||||||||
216mU | 2206 keV | 0.89+0.24 −0.16ms |
α | 212Th | 8+ | ||||||||||||||
217U[9] | 92 | 125 | 217.024660(86)# | 19.3+13.3 −5.6ms |
α | 213Th | (1/2−) | ||||||||||||
β+? | 217Pa | ||||||||||||||||||
218U[8] | 92 | 126 | 218.023505(15) | 650+80 −70μs |
α | 214Th | 0+ | ||||||||||||
218mU | 2117 keV | 390+60 −50μs |
α | 214Th | 8+ | ||||||||||||||
IT? | 218U | ||||||||||||||||||
219U | 92 | 127 | 219.025009(14) | 60(7) μs | α | 215Th | (9/2+) | ||||||||||||
β+? | 219Pa | ||||||||||||||||||
221U | 92 | 129 | 221.026323(77) | 0.66(14) μs | α | 217Th | (9/2+) | ||||||||||||
β+? | 221Pa | ||||||||||||||||||
222U | 92 | 130 | 222.026058(56) | 4.7(0.7) μs | α | 218Th | 0+ | ||||||||||||
β+? | 222Pa | ||||||||||||||||||
223U | 92 | 131 | 223.027961(63) | 65(12) μs | α | 219Th | 7/2+# | ||||||||||||
β+? | 223Pa | ||||||||||||||||||
224U | 92 | 132 | 224.027636(16) | 396(17) μs | α | 220Th | 0+ | ||||||||||||
β+? | 224Pa | ||||||||||||||||||
225U | 92 | 133 | 225.029385(11) | 62(4) ms | α | 221Th | 5/2+# | ||||||||||||
226U | 92 | 134 | 226.029339(12) | 269(6) ms | α | 222Th | 0+ | ||||||||||||
227U | 92 | 135 | 227.0311811(91) | 1.1(0.1) min | α | 223Th | (3/2+) | ||||||||||||
β+? | 227Pa | ||||||||||||||||||
228U | 92 | 136 | 228.031369(14) | 9.1(0.2) min | α (97.5%) | 224Th | 0+ | ||||||||||||
EC(2.5%) | 228Pa | ||||||||||||||||||
229U | 92 | 137 | 229.0335060(64) | 57.8(0.5) min | β+(80%) | 229Pa | (3/2+) | ||||||||||||
α (20%) | 225Th | ||||||||||||||||||
230U | 92 | 138 | 230.0339401(48) | 20.23(0.02) d | α | 226Th | 0+ | ||||||||||||
SF? | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
CD(4.8×10−12%) | 208Pb 22Ne | ||||||||||||||||||
231U | 92 | 139 | 231.0362922(29) | 4.2(0.1) d | EC | 231Pa | 5/2+# | ||||||||||||
α (.004%) | 227Th | ||||||||||||||||||
232U | 92 | 140 | 232.0371548(19) | 68.9(0.4) y | α | 228Th | 0+ | ||||||||||||
CD(8.9×10−10%) | 208Pb 24Ne | ||||||||||||||||||
SF (10−12%) | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
CD? | 204Hg 28Mg | ||||||||||||||||||
233U | 92 | 141 | 233.0396343(24) | 1.592(2)×105y | α | 229Th | 5/2+ | Trace[n 9] | |||||||||||
CD (≤7.2×10−11%) | 209Pb 24Ne | ||||||||||||||||||
SF? | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
CD? | 205Hg 28Mg | ||||||||||||||||||
234U[n 10][n 11] | Uranium II | 92 | 142 | 234.0409503(12) | 2.455(6)×105y | α | 230Th | 0+ | [0.000054(5)][n 12] | 0.000050– 0.000059 | |||||||||
SF (1.64×10−9%) | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
CD (1.4×10−11%) | 206Hg 28Mg | ||||||||||||||||||
CD (≤9×10−12%) | 208Pb 26Ne | ||||||||||||||||||
CD (≤9×10−12%) | 210Pb 24Ne | ||||||||||||||||||
234mU | 1421.257(17) keV | 33.5(2.0) ms | IT | 234U | 6− | ||||||||||||||
235U[n 13][n 14][n 15] | Actin Uranium Actino-Uranium |
92 | 143 | 235.0439281(12) | 7.038(1)×108y | α | 231Th | 7/2− | [0.007204(6)] | 0.007198– 0.007207 | |||||||||
SF (7×10−9%) | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
CD (8×10−10%) | 215Pb 20Ne | ||||||||||||||||||
CD (8×10−10%) | 210Pb 25Ne | ||||||||||||||||||
CD (8×10−10%) | 207Hg 28Mg | ||||||||||||||||||
235m1U | 0.076737(18) keV | 25.7(1) min | IT | 235U | 1/2+ | ||||||||||||||
235m2U | 2500(300) keV | 3.6(18) ms | SF | (various) | |||||||||||||||
236U | Thoruranium[10] | 92 | 144 | 236.0455661(12) | 2.342(3)×107y | α | 232Th | 0+ | Trace[n 16] | ||||||||||
SF (9.6×10−8%) | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
CD (≤2.0×10−11%)[11] | 208Hg 28Mg | ||||||||||||||||||
CD (≤2.0×10−11%)[11] | 206Hg 30Mg | ||||||||||||||||||
236m1U | 1052.5(6) keV | 100(4) ns | IT | 236U | 4− | ||||||||||||||
236m2U | 2750(3) keV | 120(2) ns | IT (87%) | 236U | (0+) | ||||||||||||||
SF (13%) | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
237U | 92 | 145 | 237.0487283(13) | 6.752(2) d | β− | 237Np | 1/2+ | Trace[n 17] | |||||||||||
237mU | 274.0(10) keV | 155(6) ns | IT | 237U | 7/2− | ||||||||||||||
238U[n 11][n 13][n 14] | Uranium I | 92 | 146 | 238.050787618(15)[12] | 4.468(3)×109y | α | 234Th | 0+ | [0.992742(10)] | 0.992739– 0.992752 | |||||||||
SF (5.44×10−5%) | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
β−β−(2.2×10−10%) | 238Pu | ||||||||||||||||||
238mU | 2557.9(5) keV | 280(6) ns | IT (97.4%) | 238U | 0+ | ||||||||||||||
SF (2.6%) | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
239U | 92 | 147 | 239.0542920(16) | 23.45(0.02) min | β− | 239Np | 5/2+ | Trace[n 18] | |||||||||||
239m1U | 133.7991(10) keV | 780(40) ns | IT | 239U | 1/2+ | ||||||||||||||
239m2U | 2500(900)# keV | >250 ns | SF? | (various) | 0+ | ||||||||||||||
IT? | 239U | ||||||||||||||||||
240U | 92 | 148 | 240.0565924(27) | 14.1(0.1) h | β− | 240Np | 0+ | Trace[n 19] | |||||||||||
α? | 236Th | ||||||||||||||||||
241U[13] | 92 | 149 | 241.06031(5) | ~40 min[14][15] | β− | 241Np | 7/2+# | ||||||||||||
242U | 92 | 150 | 242.06296(10)[13] | 16.8(0.5) min | β− | 242Np | 0+ | ||||||||||||
This table header & footer: |
- ^mU – Excitednuclear isomer.
- ^( ) – Uncertainty (1σ) is given in concise form in parentheses after the corresponding last digits.
- ^# – Atomic mass marked #: value and uncertainty derived not from purely experimental data, but at least partly from trends from the Mass Surface (TMS).
- ^
Modes of decay:
CD: Cluster decay EC: Electron capture SF: Spontaneous fission - ^Bold italics symbolas daughter – Daughter product is nearly stable.
- ^Bold symbolas daughter – Daughter product is stable.
- ^( ) spin value – Indicates spin with weak assignment arguments.
- ^ab# – Values marked # are not purely derived from experimental data, but at least partly from trends of neighboring nuclides (TNN).
- ^Intermediate decay product of237Np
- ^Used inuranium–thorium dating
- ^abUsed inuranium–uranium dating
- ^Intermediatedecay productof238U
- ^abPrimordialradionuclide
- ^abUsed inUranium–lead dating
- ^Important in nuclear reactors
- ^Intermediate decay product of244Pu,also produced byneutron captureof235U
- ^Neutron capture product, parent of trace quantities of237Np
- ^Neutron capture product; parent of trace quantities of239Pu
- ^Intermediate decay product of244Pu
Actinides vs fission products
[edit]Actinides[16]bydecay chain | Half-life range (a) |
Fission productsof235Ubyyield[17] | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4n | 4n+ 1 | 4n+ 2 | 4n+ 3 | 4.5–7% | 0.04–1.25% | <0.001% | ||
228Ra№ | 4–6 a | 155Euþ | ||||||
248Bk[18] | > 9 a | |||||||
244Cmƒ | 241Puƒ | 250Cf | 227Ac№ | 10–29 a | 90Sr | 85Kr | 113mCdþ | |
232Uƒ | 238Puƒ | 243Cmƒ | 29–97 a | 137Cs | 151Smþ | 121mSn | ||
249Cfƒ | 242mAmƒ | 141–351 a |
No fission products have ahalf-life | |||||
241Amƒ | 251Cfƒ[19] | 430–900 a | ||||||
226Ra№ | 247Bk | 1.3–1.6 ka | ||||||
240Pu | 229Th | 246Cmƒ | 243Amƒ | 4.7–7.4 ka | ||||
245Cmƒ | 250Cm | 8.3–8.5 ka | ||||||
239Puƒ | 24.1 ka | |||||||
230Th№ | 231Pa№ | 32–76 ka | ||||||
236Npƒ | 233Uƒ | 234U№ | 150–250 ka | 99Tc₡ | 126Sn | |||
248Cm | 242Pu | 327–375 ka | 79Se₡ | |||||
1.33 Ma | 135Cs₡ | |||||||
237Npƒ | 1.61–6.5 Ma | 93Zr | 107Pd | |||||
236U | 247Cmƒ | 15–24 Ma | 129I₡ | |||||
244Pu | 80 Ma |
... nor beyond 15.7 Ma[20] | ||||||
232Th№ | 238U№ | 235Uƒ№ | 0.7–14.1 Ga | |||||
|
Uranium-214
[edit]Uranium-214 is the lightest known isotope of uranium. It was discovered at the Spectrometer for Heavy Atoms and Nuclear Structure (SHANS) at the Heavy Ion Research Facility inLanzhou,Chinain 2021, produced by firing argon-36 at tungsten-182. It alpha-decays with a half-life of0.5 ms.[21][22][23][24]
Uranium-232
[edit]Uranium-232 has a half-life of 68.9 years and is a side product in thethorium cycle.It has been cited as an obstacle tonuclear proliferationusing233U, because the intensegamma radiationfrom208Tl(a daughter of232U, produced relatively quickly) makes233U contaminated with it more difficult to handle. Uranium-232 is a rare example of aneven-even isotopethat isfissilewith both thermal and fast neutrons.[25][26]
Uranium-233
[edit]Uranium-233 is a fissile isotope that is bred fromthorium-232as part of the thorium fuel cycle.233U was investigated for use in nuclear weapons and as a reactor fuel. It was occasionally tested but never deployed in nuclear weapons and has not been used commercially as a nuclear fuel.[27]It has been used successfully in experimental nuclear reactors and has been proposed for much wider use as a nuclear fuel. It has a half-life of around 160,000 years.
Uranium-233 is produced by neutron irradiation of thorium-232. When thorium-232 absorbs aneutron,it becomesthorium-233,which has a half-life of only 22 minutes. Thorium-233beta decaysintoprotactinium-233.Protactinium-233 has a half-life of 27 days and beta decays into uranium-233; some proposed molten salt reactor designs attempt to physically isolate the protactinium from further neutron capture before beta decay can occur.
Uranium-233 usually fissions on neutron absorption but sometimes retains the neutron, becominguranium-234.The capture-to-fission ratio is smaller than the other two major fissile fuels,uranium-235andplutonium-239;it is also lower than that of short-livedplutonium-241,but bested by very difficult-to-produceneptunium-236.
Uranium-234
[edit]234U occurs in natural uranium as an indirect decay product of uranium-238, but makes up only 55 parts permillionof the uranium because itshalf-lifeof 245,500 years is only about 1/18,000 that of238U. The path of production of234U is this:238Ualpha decaystothorium-234.Next, with a shorthalf-life,234Thbeta decaystoprotactinium-234.Finally,234Pa beta decays to234U.[28][29]
234Ualpha decaystothorium-230,except for a small percentage of nuclei that undergospontaneous fission.
Extraction of small amounts of234U from natural uranium could be done usingisotope separation,similar to normal uranium-enrichment. However, there is no real demand inchemistry,physics,or engineering for isolating234U. Very small pure samples of234U can be extracted via the chemicalion-exchangeprocess, from samples ofplutonium-238that have aged somewhat to allow some alpha decay to234U.
Enriched uraniumcontains more234U than natural uranium as a byproduct of the uranium enrichment process aimed at obtaininguranium-235,which concentrates lighter isotopes even more strongly than it does235U. The increased percentage of234U in enriched natural uranium is acceptable in current nuclear reactors, but (re-enriched)reprocessed uraniummight contain even higher fractions of234U, which is undesirable.[30]This is because234U is notfissile,and tends to absorb slowneutronsin anuclear reactor—becoming235U.[29][30]
234U has aneutron capturecross section of about 100barnsforthermal neutrons,and about 700 barns for itsresonance integral—the average over neutrons having various intermediate energies. In a nuclear reactor, non-fissile isotopes capture a neutron breeding fissile isotopes.234U is converted to235U more easily and therefore at a greater rate thanuranium-238is toplutonium-239(vianeptunium-239), because238U has a much smaller neutron-capturecross sectionof just 2.7 barns.
Uranium-235
[edit]Uranium-235 makes up about 0.72% of natural uranium. Unlike the predominant isotopeuranium-238,it isfissile,i.e., it can sustain afissionchain reaction.It is the onlyfissile isotopethat is aprimordial nuclideor found in significant quantity in nature.
Uranium-235 has ahalf-lifeof 703.8million years.It was discovered in 1935 byArthur Jeffrey Dempster.Its (fission) nuclearcross sectionfor slowthermal neutronis about 504.81barns.For fastneutronsit is on the order of 1 barn. At thermal energy levels, about 5 of 6 neutron absorptions result in fission and 1 of 6 result in neutron capture forminguranium-236.[31]The fission-to-capture ratio improves for faster neutrons.
Uranium-236
[edit]Uranium-236has a half-life of about 23 million years; and is neither fissile with thermal neutrons, nor very good fertile material, but is generally considered a nuisance and long-livedradioactive waste.It is found in spentnuclear fueland in the reprocessed uranium made from spent nuclear fuel.
Uranium-237
[edit]Uranium-237has a half-life of about 6.75 days. It decays intoneptunium-237bybeta decay.It was discovered by Japanese physicistYoshio Nishinain 1940, who in a near-miss discovery, inferred the creation of element 93, but was unable to isolate the then-unknown element or measure its decay properties.[32]
Uranium-238
[edit]Uranium-238 (238U or U-238) is the most commonisotopeofuraniumin nature. It is notfissile,but isfertile:it can capture a slowneutronand after twobeta decaysbecome fissileplutonium-239.Uranium-238 is fissionable by fast neutrons, but cannot support a chain reaction because inelastic scattering reducesneutron energybelow the range where fast fission of one or more next-generation nuclei is probable. Doppler broadening of238U's neutron absorption resonances, increasing absorption as fuel temperature increases, is also an essential negative feedback mechanism for reactor control.
About 99.284% of natural uranium is uranium-238, which has a half-life of 1.41×1017seconds (4.468×109years). Depleted uranium has an even higher concentration of238U, and even low-enriched uranium (LEU) is still mostly238U. Reprocessed uranium is also mainly238U, with about as much uranium-235 as natural uranium, a comparable proportion of uranium-236, and much smaller amounts of other isotopes of uranium such asuranium-234,uranium-233,anduranium-232.
Uranium-239
[edit]Uranium-239is usually produced by exposing238U toneutron radiationin a nuclear reactor.239U has a half-life of about 23.45 minutes andbeta decaysintoneptunium-239,with a total decay energy of about 1.29 MeV.[33]The most common gamma decay at 74.660 keV accounts for the difference in the two major channels of beta emission energy, at 1.28 and 1.21 MeV.[34]
239Np then, with a half-life of about 2.356 days, beta-decays toplutonium-239.
Uranium-241
[edit]In 2023, in a paper published inPhysical Review Letters,a group of researchers based in Korea reported that they had founduranium-241in an experiment involving238U+198Pt multinucleon transfer reactions.[35][36] Its half-life is about 40 minutes.[35]
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- ^abZhang, M. M.; Tian, Y. L.; Wang, Y. S.; Zhang, Z. Y.; Gan, Z. G.; Yang, H. B.; Huang, M. H.; Ma, L.; Yang, C. L.; Wang, J. G.; Yuan, C. X.; Qi, C.; Andreyev, A. N.; Huang, X. Y.; Xu, S. Y.; Zhao, Z.; Chen, L. X.; Wang, J. Y.; Liu, M. L.; Qiang, Y. H.; Li, G. S.; Yang, W. Q.; Chen, R. F.; Zhang, H. B.; Lu, Z. W.; Xu, X. X.; Duan, L. M.; Yang, H. R.; Huang, W. X.; Liu, Z.; Zhou, X. H.; Zhang, Y. H.; Xu, H. S.; Wang, N.; Zhou, H. B.; Wen, X. J.; Huang, S.; Hua, W.; Zhu, L.; Wang, X.; Mao, Y. C.; He, X. T.; Wang, S. Y.; Xu, W. Z.; Li, H. W.; Niu, Y. F.; Guo, L.; Ren, Z. Z.; Zhou, S. G. (4 August 2022). "Fine structure in the α decay of the 8+ isomer in216, 218U ".Physical Review C.106(2): 024305.doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.106.024305.ISSN2469-9985.S2CID251359451.
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