uranium-235
Appearance
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From uranium + 235 (“the atomic mass of the isotope”).
Noun
[edit]- (physics) A fissile isotope of uranium, used for energy generation and in atomic weapons, containing one hundred and forty-three neutrons. It has a half-life of 7·038×108 years; it decays into thorium-231 and ultimately lead.
- 2022 November 21, Lorenzo Tondo, Peter Beaumont, “Ukraine to start evacuations in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions as winter sets in”, in The Guardian[1]:
- The Zaporizhzhia plant provided about a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity before Russia’s invasion, and has been forced to operate on backup generators a number of times. It has six Soviet-designed water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing uranium-235.
Usage notes
[edit]- In scientific literature, the more technically correct abbreviation 23592U is used, rather than U-235.