Importance of Uranium cont'd - doe-hdbk-1113-98_reaffirm_2005

DOE-HDBK-1113-98

Module 102 The Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Lesson Plan

Instructor's Notes

Later investigators, such as Marie Curie, isolated other

radioactive elements from uranium ores. These elements

are produced from the radioactive decay of uranium. The

radioactive emission of an alpha particle causes uranium

to change into thorium. Thorium goes on to decay to other

elements, and so on, until a stable element such as lead is

reached.

Radium and radon are the two most well-known

radioactive decay products of uranium. Radium was once

used for luminous instrument dials and other products.

Radon is a heavy radioactive gas that can accumulate in

buildings and mines. Typically, these radioactive decay

products are more hazardous than the uranium itself.

The importance of uranium increased dramatically with

the discovery of nuclear fission in 1938, the production of

plutonium in 1940, and the construction of the first

reactor in 1942 under the direction of Enrico Fermi. These

accomplishments led to the Manhattan Project, in which

uranium was enriched at Oak Ridge or converted into

plutonium at Hanford. These products were used to

assemble the first atomic bombs at Los Alamos in 1945.

After the end of World War II in 1945, the importance of

uranium remained high. Production of uranium and

plutonium for "atomic" or "nuclear" weapons continued

throughout the Cold War. In addition, nuclear reactors

were built for the propulsion of naval submarines and

ships, and for the commercial production of electricity.

Now, most of the world's production of uranium is used

for nuclear reactors.