Actinides

[1]
by decay chain Half-life
range (a)
Fission products by yield
[2]
4n 4n+1 4n+2 4n+3 4.57% 0.041.25% <0.001%
228
Ra

46

155
Eu

244
Cm
241
Pu
250
Cf
227
Ac

1029
90
Sr
85
Kr
113m
Cd

232
U
238
Pu
243
Cm

2997
137
Cs
151
Sm
121m
Sn
248
Bk
[3] 249
Cf
242m
Am

141351
No fission products
have a half-life
in the range of
100210k years
241
Am
251
Cf
[4]
430900
226
Ra
247
Bk 1.3k1.6k
240
Pu
229
Th
246
Cm
243
Am 4.7k7.4k
245
Cm
250
Cm 8.3k8.5k
239
Pu

24.1k
230
Th
231
Pa

32k76k
236
Np
233
U
234
U

150k250k

99
Tc
126
Sn
248
Cm
242
Pu 327k375k
79
Se

1.53M
93
Zr
237
Np 2.1M6.5M
135
Cs
107
Pd
236
U
247
Cm

15M24M
129
I

244
Pu

80M
...nor beyond 15.7M
[5]
232
Th
238
U
235
U

0.7G14.1G
Legend for superscript symbols
has thermal neutron capture cross section in the range of 850 barns
fissile
m metastable isomer
naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM)
neutron poison (thermal neutron capture cross section greater than 3k barns)
range 4a97a: Medium-lived fission product
over 200ka: Long-lived fission product
Isotopes of uranium
Full table
General
Name, symbol U-232,
232
U
Neutrons 140
Protons 92
Nuclide data
Half-life 68.9 years
Parent isotopes
236
Pu ()
232
Np (
+
)
232
Pa (

)
Decay products
228
Th
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uranium (U) is a naturally occurring radioactive element that has no stable isotopes
but two primordial isotopes (uranium-238 and uranium-235) that have long half-life and
are found in appreciable quantity in the Earth's crust, along with the decay product
uranium-234. The average atomic mass of natural uranium is 238.02891(3) u. Other
isotopes such as uranium-232 have been produced in breeder reactors.
Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes, uranium-238
(99.2739 - 99.2752% natural abundance), uranium-235 (0.7198 - 0.7202%), and
uranium-234 (0.0050 - 0.0059%).
[6]
All three isotopes are radioactive, creating
radioisotopes, with the most abundant and stable being uranium-238 with a half-life of
4.4683 10
9
years (close to the age of the Earth).
Uranium-238 is an emitter, decaying through the 18-member uranium series into
lead-206. The decay series of uranium-235 (historically called actino-uranium) has 15
members that ends in lead-207. The constant rates of decay in these series makes
comparison of the ratios of parent to daughter elements useful in radiometric dating.
Uranium-233 is made from thorium-232 by neutron bombardment.
The isotope uranium-235 is important for both nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons
because it is the only isotope existing in nature to any appreciable extent that is fissile,
that is, can be broken apart by thermal neutrons. The isotope uranium-238 is also
important because it absorbs neutrons to produce a radioactive isotope that
subsequently decays to the isotope plutonium-239, which also is fissile.
Contents
1 Uranium-232
2 Uranium-233
3 Uranium-234
4 Uranium-235
5 Uranium-236
6 Uranium-237
7 Uranium-238
8 Uranium-239
9 Table
9.1 Notes
10 References
Uranium-232
Uranium 232 (
232
92
U
140
,
232
U, U-232) is an isotope of uranium. It has a half-life of 68.9 years and is a side product in the thorium
cycle. It has been cited as an obstacle to nuclear proliferation using
233
U as the fissile material, because the intense gamma
radiation of
232
U's decay products makes the
233
U contaminated with it more difficult to handle.
Production of
233
U (through the neutron irradiation of
232
Th) invariably produces small amounts of
232
U as an impurity, because
of parasitic (n,2n) reactions on uranium-233 itself, or on protactinium-233:
232
Th (n,)
233
Th ()
233
Pa ()
233
U (n,2n)
232
U
232
Th (n,)
233
Th ()
233
Pa (n,2n)
232
Pa ()
232
U
The decay chain of
232
U quickly yields strong gamma radiation emitters:
232
U (, 68.9 years)
228
Th (, 1.9 year)
224
Ra (, 3.6 day, 0.24 MeV) (at this point, the decay chain is identical to that of
232
Th)
220
Rn (, 55 s, 0.54 MeV)
216
Po (, 0.15 s)
212
Pb (, 10.64 h)
212
Bi (, 61 m, 0.78 MeV)
208
Tl (, 3 m, 2.6 MeV) (35.94% branching ratio)
208
Pb (stable)
This makes manual handling in a glove box with only light shielding (as commonly done with plutonium) too hazardous, (except possibly in a short period
Actinides and fission products by half-life
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Isotopes of uranium
Full table
General
Name, symbol U-239,
239
U
Neutrons 147
Protons 92
Nuclide data
Half-life 23.45 mins
Decay products
239
Np
Decay mode Decay energy
Beta decay 20% 1.28 MeV
Beta decay 80% 1.21 MeV
immediately following chemical separation of the uranium from thorium-228, radium-224, radon-220, and polonium) and instead requiring remote manipulation
for fuel fabrication.
Unusually for an isotope with even mass number,
232
U has a significant neutron absorption cross section for fission (thermal neutrons 75 barns (b), resonance
integral 380 b) as well as for neutron capture (thermal 73 b, resonance integral 280 b).
Lighter:
uranium-231
isotopes of uranium is
an
isotope of uranium
Heavier:
uranium-233
Decay product of:
plutonium-236 ()
neptunium-232 (
+
)
protactinium-232 (

)
Decay chain
of isotopes of uranium
Decays to:
thorium-228 ()
Uranium-233
Main article: Uranium-233
Uranium-234
Main article: Uranium-234
Uranium-235
Main article: Uranium-235
Uranium-236
Main article: Uranium-236
Uranium-237
Uranium-238
Main article: Uranium-238
Uranium-239
Uranium-239 is an isotope of uranium. It is usually produced by exposing
238
U to neutron radiation in a nuclear reactor.
239
U has a half-life of about 23.45 minutes and decays into neptunium-239 through beta decay, with a total decay energy of
about 1.29 MeV.
[7]
The most common gamma decay at 74.660 keV accounts for the difference in the two major channels of
beta emission energy, at 1.28 and 1.21 MeV.
[8]
239
Np further decays to plutonium-239, in a second important step that ultimately produces fissile
239
Pu (used in weapons
and for nuclear power), from
238
U in reactors.
Lighter:
uranium-238
isotopes of uranium is
an
isotope of uranium
Heavier:
uranium-240
Decay product of:
protactinium-239 (-)
Decay chain
of isotopes of uranium
Decays to:
neptunium-239 (-)
Table
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2 of 5 1.3.2014 21:00
nuclide
symbol
historic
name
Z(p) N(n)

isotopic mass (u)

half-life
decay
mode(s)
[9][n 1]
daughter
isotope(s)
[n 2]
nuclear
spin
representative
isotopic
composition
(mole fraction)
range of natural
variation
(mole fraction)
excitation energy
217
U 92 125 217.02437(9)
26(14) ms
[16(+21-6) ms]
1/2-#
218
U 92 126 218.02354(3) 6(5) ms
214
Th 0+
219
U 92 127 219.02492(6)
55(25) ms
[42(+34-13) ms]

215
Th 9/2+#
220
U 92 128 220.02472(22)# 60# ns

216
Th
0+

+
(rare)
220
Pa
221
U 92 129 221.02640(11)# 700# ns

217
Th
9/2+#

+
(rare)
221
Pa
222
U 92 130 222.02609(11)#
1.4(7) us
[1.0(+10-4) us]

218
Th
0+

+
(10
6
%)
222
Pa
223
U 92 131 223.02774(8)
21(8) us
[18(+10-5) us]

219
Th 7/2+#
224
U 92 132 224.027605(27) 940(270) us
220
Th 0+
225
U 92 133 225.02939# 61(4) ms
221
Th (5/2+)#
226
U 92 134 226.029339(14) 269(6) ms
222
Th 0+
227
U 92 135 227.031156(18) 1.1(1) min

223
Th
(3/2+)

+
(.001%)
227
Pa
228
U 92 136 228.031374(16) 9.1(2) min
(95%)
224
Th
0+
EC (5%)
228
Pa
229
U 92 137 229.033506(6) 58(3) min

+
(80%)
229
Pa
(3/2+)
(20%)
225
Th
230
U 92 138 230.033940(5) 20.8 d

226
Th
0+ SF (1.410
10
%) (various)

+
(rare)
230
Th
231
U 92 139 231.036294(3) 4.2(1) d
EC
231
Pa
(5/2)(+#)
(.004%)
227
Th
232
U 92 140 232.0371562(24) 68.9(4) y

228
Th
0+
CD (8.910
10
%)
208
Pb
24
Ne
CD (510
12
%)
204
Hg
28
Mg
SF (10
12
%) (various)
233
U 92 141 233.0396352(29) 1.592(2)10
5
y

229
Th
5/2+
SF (610
9
%) (various)
CD (7.210
11
%)
209
Pb
24
Ne
CD (1.310
13
%)
205
Hg
28
Mg
234
U
[n 3][n 4]
Uranium II 92 142 234.0409521(20) 2.455(6)10
5
y

230
Th
0+ [0.000054(5)]
[n 5]
0.000050-
0.000059
SF (1.7310
9
%) (various)
CD (1.410
11
%)
206
Hg
28
Mg
CD (910
12
%)
184
Hf
26
Ne
24
Ne
234m
U 1421.32(10) keV 33.5(20) ms 6-
235
U
[n 6][n 7][n 8]
Actin Uranium
Actino-Uranium
92 143 235.0439299(20) 7.04(1)10
8
y

231
Th
7/2- [0.007204(6)]
0.007198-
0.007207
SF (710
9
%) (various)
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CD (810
10
%)
186
Hf
25
Ne
24
Ne
235m
U 0.0765(4) keV ~26 min IT
235
U 1/2+
236
U 92 144 236.045568(2) 2.342(3)10
7
y

232
Th
0+
SF (9.610
8
%) (various)
236m1
U 1052.89(19) keV 100(4) ns (4)-
236m2
U 2750(10) keV 120(2) ns (0+)
237
U 92 145 237.0487302(20) 6.75(1) d
- 237
Np 1/2+
238
U
[n 4][n 6][n 7]
Uranium I 92 146 238.0507882(20) 4.468(3)10
9
y

234
Th
0+ [0.992742(10)]
0.992739-
0.992752
SF (5.4510
5
%) (various)

-
(2.1910
10
%)
238
Pu
238m
U 2557.9(5) keV 280(6) ns 0+
239
U 92 147 239.0542933(21) 23.45(2) min
- 239
Np 5/2+
239m1
U 20(20)# keV >250 ns (5/2+)
239m2
U 133.7990(10) keV 780(40) ns 1/2+
240
U 92 148 240.056592(6) 14.1(1) h

- 240
Np
0+
(10
10
%)
236
Th
241
U 92 149 241.06033(32)# 5# min
- 241
Np 7/2+#
242
U 92 150 242.06293(22)# 16.8(5) min
- 242
Np 0+
^ Abbreviations:
CD: Cluster decay
EC: Electron capture
IT: Isomeric transition
SF: Spontaneous fission
1.
^ Bold for stable isotopes, bold italics for nearly-stable isotopes (half-life longer than the age of the universe) 2.
^ Used in uranium-thorium dating 3.
^
a

b
Used in uranium-uranium dating 4.
^ Intermediate decay product of
238
U 5.
^
a

b
Primordial radionuclide 6.
^
a

b
Used in Uranium-lead dating 7.
^ Important in nuclear reactors 8.
Notes
Evaluated isotopic composition is for most but not all commercial samples.
The precision of the isotope abundances and atomic mass is limited through variations. The given ranges should be applicable to any normal terrestrial
material.
Geologically exceptional samples are known in which the isotopic composition lies outside the reported range. The uncertainty in the atomic mass may
exceed the stated value for such specimens.
Commercially available materials may have been subjected to an undisclosed or inadvertent isotopic fractionation. Substantial deviations from the given
mass and composition can occur.
Values marked # are not purely derived from experimental data, but at least partly from systematic trends. Spins with weak assignment arguments are
enclosed in parentheses.
Uncertainties are given in concise form in parentheses after the corresponding last digits. Uncertainty values denote one standard deviation, except isotopic
composition and standard atomic mass from IUPAC which use expanded uncertainties.
References
^ Plus radium (element 88). While actually a sub-actinide, it immediately precedes actinium (89) and follows a three element gap of instability after polonium (84) where
no isotopes have half-lives of at least four years (the longest-lived isotope in the gap is radon-222 with a half life of less than four days). Radium's longest lived isotope,
at a notable 1600 years, thus merits the element's inclusion here.
1.
^ Specifically from thermal neutron fission of U-235, e.g. in a typical nuclear reactor. 2.
^ Milsted, J.; Friedman, A. M.; Stevens, C. M. (1965). "The alpha half-life of berkelium-247; a new long-lived isomer of berkelium-248". Nuclear Physics 71 (2): 299.
doi:10.1016/0029-5582(65)90719-4 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2F0029-5582%2865%2990719-4).
"The isotopic analyses disclosed a species of mass 248 in constant abundance in three samples analysed over a period of about 10 months. This was ascribed to an
isomer of Bk
248
with a half-life greater than 9 y. No growth of Cf
248
was detected, and a lower limit for the

half-life can be set at about 10

4
y. No alpha activity
attributable to the new isomer has been detected; the alpha half-life is probably greater than 300 y."
3.
^ This is the heaviest isotope with a half-life of at least four years before the "Sea of Instability". 4.
^ Excluding those "classically stable" isotopes with half-lives significantly in excess of
232
Th, e.g. while
113m
Cd has a half-life of only fourteen years, that of
113
Cd is
nearly eight quadrillion.
5.
^ Uranium Isotopes (http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/intro/u-isotopes.htm), retrieved 14 March 2012 6.
^ CRC Handbook, 57th Ed. p. B-345 7.
Isotopes of uranium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_uranium
4 of 5 1.3.2014 21:00
^ CRC Handbook, 57th Ed. p. B-423 8.
^ http://www.nucleonica.net/unc.aspx 9.
Isotope masses from:
G. Audi, A. H. Wapstra, C. Thibault, J. Blachot and O. Bersillon (2003). "The NUBASE evaluation of nuclear and decay properties" (http://www.nndc.bnl.gov
/amdc/nubase/Nubase2003.pdf). Nuclear Physics A 729: 3128. Bibcode:2003NuPhA.729....3A (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003NuPhA.729....3A).
doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2003.11.001 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.nuclphysa.2003.11.001).
Isotopic compositions and standard atomic masses from:
J. R. de Laeter, J. K. Bhlke, P. De Bivre, H. Hidaka, H. S. Peiser, K. J. R. Rosman and P. D. P. Taylor (2003). "Atomic weights of the elements. Review 2000
(IUPAC Technical Report)" (http://www.iupac.org/publications/pac/75/6/0683/pdf/). Pure and Applied Chemistry 75 (6): 683800. doi:10.1351/pac200375060683
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1351%2Fpac200375060683).
M. E. Wieser (2006). "Atomic weights of the elements 2005 (IUPAC Technical Report)" (http://iupac.org/publications/pac/78/11/2051/pdf/). Pure and Applied
Chemistry 78 (11): 20512066. doi:10.1351/pac200678112051 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1351%2Fpac200678112051). Lay summary (http://old.iupac.org
/news/archives/2005/atomic-weights_revised05.html).
Half-life, spin, and isomer data selected from the following sources. See editing notes on this article's talk page.
G. Audi, A. H. Wapstra, C. Thibault, J. Blachot and O. Bersillon (1999). "The NUBASE evaluation of nuclear and decay properties" (http://www.nndc.bnl.gov
/amdc/nubase/Nubase2003.pdf). Nuclear Physics A 729: 3128. Bibcode:2003NuPhA.729....3A (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003NuPhA.729....3A).
doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2003.11.001 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.nuclphysa.2003.11.001).
National Nuclear Data Center. "NuDat 2.1 database" (http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/nudat2/). Brookhaven National Laboratory. Retrieved September 2005.
N. E. Holden (2004). "Table of the Isotopes". In D. R. Lide. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (85th ed.). CRC Press. Section 11.
ISBN 978-0-8493-0485-9.
Isotopes of protactinium Isotopes of uranium Isotopes of neptunium
Table of nuclides
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Categories: Uranium Isotopes of uranium Lists of isotopes by element
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