Uranium

Why in news?

• While searching for a magic number, physicists in Japan have recently discovered a new isotope of uranium with atomic number 92 and mass number 241.

About Uranium:

• Uranium (U) is a radioactive chemical element of the actinide series of the periodic table, atomic number 92.
• Uranium is a dense, hard metallic element that is silvery white in colour. It is ductile, malleable, and capable of taking a high polish.
• Uranium occurs naturally in low concentrations in soil, rock and water and is commercially extracted from uranium-bearing minerals.
• Uses includes:
  • Fuel for nuclear power reactors for electricity generation
  • Manufacture of radioisotopes for medical applications
  • Nuclear science research among others.
• World Health Organisation(WHO) has set 30 parts per billion as the provisional safe drinking water standard for uranium.

About Uranium 241:

• Uranium 241 is a new isotope of Uranium.
• It has an atomic number of 92 and a mass number of 241.
• Theoretical calculations suggest that this new isotope could have a half-life of 40 minutes.
• To find uranium-241, the researchers accelerated uranium-238 nuclei into plutonium-198 nuclei using the KEK Isotope Separation System (KISS).
• In a process called multinucleon transfer, the two isotopes exchanged protons and neutrons, resulting in nuclear fragments with different isotopes.

Significance of the Uranium 241 finding:

• This finding is significant in refining our understanding of nuclear physics and has implications for designing nuclear power plants and models of exploding stars.
• Measuring the mass of uranium and its neighbourhood elements yields essential nuclear information to understand the synthesis of such heavy elements in explosive astronomical events.

What are Magic Numbers?

• In nuclear physics, “magic numbers” are specific numbers of nucleons (protons or neutrons) that correspond to particularly stable configurations within atomic nuclei.
• These numbers are believed to arise from the underlying shell structure of atomic nuclei. The heaviest known ‘magic’ nucleus is lead (82 protons).

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements:

1. Uranium in drinking water in any amount is hazardous to human health

2. Uranium occurs naturally in soil as well as water

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer – B