U238isotooppia

U238isotooppia refers to the isotope of uranium with a mass number of 238. Its chemical symbol is U, and its atomic number is 92, meaning it has 92 protons. Uranium-238 is the most abundant isotope of uranium, making up approximately 99.27% of naturally occurring uranium. It is a radioactive isotope with a very long half-life, estimated to be about 4.468 billion years. This means that it decays extremely slowly.

The decay of U-238 proceeds through a series of alpha and beta decays, ultimately forming a stable isotope of lead, lead-206. This decay chain is known as the uranium-238 series. Due to its long half-life and relatively low radioactivity compared to other isotopes like uranium-235, U-238 is not fissile. This means it cannot sustain a nuclear chain reaction in the same way that U-235 can.

While not directly used as a fuel in most nuclear reactors, U-238 plays a role in nuclear technology. In some reactor designs, it can absorb neutrons and transmute into plutonium-239, which is a fissile material. U-238 is also present in spent nuclear fuel. Its presence and decay are important considerations in the long-term storage and disposal of radioactive waste. Furthermore, the decay of U-238 is used in geochronology for dating very old rocks and minerals.