Uraani238

Uranium-238 (238U) is the most common isotope of uranium, making up approximately 99.28% of all naturally occurring uranium. It is a radioactive element with a very long half-life of about 4.468 billion years. This means that over this period, half of a given sample of uranium-238 will decay into other elements.

The decay chain of uranium-238 is a series of alpha and beta decays that eventually leads to stable lead-206. This decay process is important in geochronology, allowing scientists to date rocks and minerals. While uranium-238 is not fissile, meaning it cannot sustain a nuclear chain reaction on its own, it is fertile. This means it can absorb a neutron and transform into plutonium-239, which is fissile. This property is utilized in nuclear reactors to produce plutonium, which can then be used as a nuclear fuel or in weapons.

Uranium-238 is found in various geological deposits around the world, with significant reserves in countries like Australia, Canada, and Kazakhstan. It is extracted through mining and then processed through milling and enrichment, although enrichment is primarily focused on increasing the concentration of the fissile isotope uranium-235. In its natural state, uranium-238 poses a low radiation hazard due to its low abundance of the more radioactive uranium-235 and its very long half-life.