uranium

[yoo-rey-nee-uhm]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a white, lustrous, radioactive, metallic element, occurring in pitchblende, and having compounds that are used in photography and in coloring glass. The 235 isotope is used in atomic and hydrogen bombs and as a fuel in nuclear reactors. U; 238.03; 92; 19.07.

uranium

/ jʊˈreɪnɪəm /

noun

1. a radioactive silvery-white metallic element of the actinide series. It occurs in several minerals including pitchblende, carnotite, and autunite and is used chiefly as a source of nuclear energy by fission of the radioisotope uranium-235 . Symbol: U; atomic no: 92; atomic wt: 238.0289; half-life of most stable isotope, ²³⁸ U: 451 × 10 ⁹ years; valency: 2-6; relative density: 18.95 (approx.); melting pt: 1135°C; boiling pt: 4134°C

uranium

1. A heavy, silvery-white, highly toxic, radioactive metallic element of the actinide series. It has 14 known isotopes, of which U 238 is the most naturally abundant, occurring in several minerals. Fissionable isotopes, especially U 235, are used in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Atomic number 92; atomic weight 238.03; melting point 1,132°C; boiling point 3,818°C; specific gravity 18.95; valence 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

2. See Periodic Table

uranium

1. A chemical element that is naturally radioactive. An isotope of uranium, uranium 235, is the main fuel for nuclear reactors and atomic bombs (see also atomic bomb). Its symbol is U. (See fission and chain reaction.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of uranium¹

From New Latin, dating back to 1790–1800; Uranus, -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of uranium¹

C18: from New Latin, from _Uranus ²; from the fact that the element was discovered soon after the planet

Example Sentences

For more than five decades Orano - which until 2018 was known as Areva - mined Niger's uranium, to supply the nuclear power sector that is at the heart of France's energy strategy.

From BBC

Iran - who retaliated with aerial attacks on Israel - denies seeking to develop nuclear weapons and says its enrichment of uranium is for peaceful purposes.

From BBC

Speaking to US reporters, the official said that reaching the enriched uranium at Isfahan would be extremely difficult and any attempt would prompt renewed Israeli strikes.

From BBC

The fate of Iran’s 60 percent enriched uranium is unclear; some of it may have survived or been removed ahead of time.

From Salon

Weaponizing that uranium is a murkier prospect, he added.

From Los Angeles Times