aman Posted December 22, 2003 Share Posted December 22, 2003 I just had a wild hair thought about the instability of all the elements above Bismuth. If an external energy was used to certain specs do you think it is feasable that radioactive elements could be stabilized by it so they didn't decay? Just aman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glider Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 What would be the point? Stable Uranium (i.e. uranium that has decayed to a stable point) is lead. In terms of energy, isn't it a bit like asking "is there a way of stabilising petrol so it doesn't burn?". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Refsmmat Posted January 4, 2004 Share Posted January 4, 2004 What is depleted uranium then? Decayed? It must not be radioactive, it's in tank armor and gun shells! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaKiri Posted January 5, 2004 Share Posted January 5, 2004 Depleted uranium is U238; ie Uranium in its naturally occuring ratio, with the U235 (the fissile stuff) taken out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radical Edward Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 There are stable forms of Uranium, such as U238. Stability of an isotope can be determined by looking at the semi empirical mass formula. this is a nifty little formula which allows you to calculate the binding energy of an atom and see if it is stable or not. if you include gravity as a perturbation, you end up finding that the lowest mass for a proton free atom to be stable is about the size of a neutron star. neat eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfson Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 Uranium-238 is an UNSTABLE radioisotope; it decays into Lead-206, a stable chemical element, with thirteen intermediate unstable radioisotopes in between (Uranium-238 decays into Thorium-234, which decays into Protactinium-234, and so on to Lead-206). The reason for the instability is the 6 electrons orbiting the F period (that is suppose to hold 14 electrons). It can be combined with other elements to create a stable COMPOUND, but not a stable Uranium element. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radical Edward Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 stable relative to say, U235. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfson Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 But still not stable..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Refsmmat Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 But... you said U238 was stable but now it isn't! AGREE, PEOPLE! If it's stable is it not radioactive? (stupid question, I know) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaKiri Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 Stable stuff isn't radioactive. U238 ISN'T STABLE. It's stabler than 235 though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfson Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 Ah but unstable relative to Rn(222). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aman Posted January 7, 2004 Author Share Posted January 7, 2004 What had me interested is the fact that depleted Uranium is targeted as being a filler for storage of other radioactive isotopes. I think it is UF6. It is poured between drums to act as a shield better than Lead for radiation and stops it better. I can't find a stabilty or radiation level for UF6 in my search as yet. Just aman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaKiri Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 U238 has a half life of several hundred million years, if that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 aman said in post #12 :What had me interested is the fact that depleted Uranium is targeted as being a filler for storage of other radioactive isotopes. I think it is UF6. It is poured between drums to act as a shield better than Lead for radiation and stops it better. I can't find a stabilty or radiation level for UF6 in my search as yet. Just aman UF6 is a gas (under the right conditions) It's formed so that one can use gas membrane diffusion or gas centrifuge for the enrichment of uranium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 MrL_JaKiri said in post #13 :U238 has a half life of several hundred million years, if that helps. No, U-238 has a half life of about 4.5 billion years. The half life of U-235 is about 700 million years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aommaster Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 OH God, u guys are confusing me. Uranium 238 is more stable than 235. This is why peopel have to use a nuclear reactor. To fish out the 235 which can be used in nuke bombs! Because 238 just doesn't work to cause a chain reaction. Does that help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaKiri Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 If you mean 'This is why peopel have to use a nuclear reactor, to fish out the 235 which can be used in nuke bombs!', you're incorrect. The uranium is seperated in a purely physical/chemical process. A nuclear reactor would be pretty useless in creating fissile uranium because its fuel is fissile uranium. It's like expecting a car to produce petrol. Plutonium is produced in nuclear reactors though :coolio: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aommaster Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Well, then how do they get U235? And what is the nuclear reactor used for (i thought they used it for that reason) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT2095 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 U235 and Pu 239 are weapons grade materials, the U238`s often used in power generator Reactors and Breeder Reactors, the most common assembly is the latice form in the hetrogenous reactors. eitherway, they last a LOOOOOONG time and are far from stable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aommaster Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Oh ok. Thanx guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaKiri Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 aommaster said in post #18 :Well, then how do they get U235? And what is the nuclear reactor used for (i thought they used it for that reason) They use the fact that U238 compounds will be heavier than U235 ones, and seperate them physically. Nuclear reactors are used to, like, generate electricity duder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT2095 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 hence the reason saddam was partly busted for ordering several high strength Alu tubes for a centrifuge, used to seperate U235 from U238. it`s classed as a Laboratory Precursor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radical Edward Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 just centrifuge the u238 out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aommaster Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 oh ok. I was wondering how they separated it out. Thanx! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaKiri Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 YT2095 said in post #22 :hence the reason saddam was partly busted for ordering several high strength Alu tubes for a centrifuge, used to seperate U235 from U238. it`s classed as a Laboratory Precursor Dude, there was NO evidence that he was developing WMD's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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