Uranium is a very heavy metal, which is rich in energy and is very abundant in nature. Uranium exists in a large number of rocks, with a content of two to four parts per million. It is as common as tin, tungsten and molybdenum in the earth's crust. Uranium also exists in seawater and can be extracted and reduced from the ocean.
The symbol of uranium is U, which is the heaviest element that can be found in nature. There are three isotopes in nature, all of which are radioactive and have a very long half-life (hundreds of thousands to 4.5 billion years). In addition, there are 12 artificial isotopes (226U~240U).
Uranium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789. Uranium compounds were used to color porcelain in the early days and used as nuclear fuel after nuclear fission was discovered.
The use of uranium
1. application of energy and power: uranium plays an important role in atomic power generation, ship and aircraft power, and is an efficient and clean energy source.
2. Medical application: The radiation produced by uranium decay can be used for sterilization, clinical diagnosis and treatment in medicine.
3. Military application: Uranium is the power source for making atomic bombs, missiles, aviation bombs, submarines, torpedoes, aircraft carriers, etc.