Facts of Uranium

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Uranium is one of the most expensive mining product in the world. Uranium, with symbol U and atomic number 92 in periodic table, is a radioactive element which has unstable isotopes. It occurs naturally in low concentrations of a few parts per million in soil, rock and water. Without delaying any further, here are 10 facts of Uranium.

  1. Has quite high melting point : 2,075o F (1,135o C) and high boiling point : 7,468 o F (4,131 o C).
  2. Was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a German chemist in 1789.
  3. However, it has been known since at least AD 79 (uranium oxide was used as coloring agent for ceramic glazes and in glass.
  4. It was named after the recently discovered planet (1781), Uranus.
  5. Was found to be radioactive in 1896 by Antoine H. Becquerel, a French physicist.
  6. 1 ton of natural uranium can produce more than 40 million KW-hours of electricity.
  7. In 2007, the price of uranium approached $100.00 per pound (size : ball with diameter 1.3 inches).
  8. It is 40 times more naturally abundant than silver.
  9. It is the heaviest naturally occurring element in the universe. A gallon of milk only weighs about 8 lbs, while a chunk of uranium metal the size of that milk weighs over 150 lbs.
  10. If it is ingested by human (uranium’s traces appear in rock, soil, water, etc.), the kidneys will remove it from bloodstream and can repair itself if the cells are damaged by the process.
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