noun

• The chemical element of atomic number 92, a dense grey radioactive metal used as a fuel in nuclear reactors.

  Uranium is a chemically reactive metal belonging to the actinide series. Becquerel discovered radioactivity in uranium in 1896, and its capacity to undergo fission led to its use as a source of energy, though the fissile isotope, uranium-235, has to be separated from the more common uranium-238 before it can be used in nuclear weapons. The atom bomb exploded over Hiroshima in 1945 contained uranium-235

  ‘It is not possible, however, to construct weapons directly out of uranium or slightly enriched uranium.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘All countries have uranium, uranium is a very common material around the world.’
  • ‘It is not certain if the effects are due to the chemical or the radioactive properties of uranium.’
  • ‘He advises the villagers to drink a lot of milk because the calcium compounds with uranium.’
  • ‘There are large unexploited nickel deposits, and uranium, vanadium, and gold.’
  • ‘A highly radioactive solution of water, plutonium and uranium is constantly leaking out.’
  • ‘However, uranium is a heavy metal and the safety limits are based on its toxicity as a metal.’
  • ‘Radon is produced when trace amounts of uranium and radium in the soil or rocks decay.’
  • ‘To develop a comprehensive set of nuclear weapons, enriched plutonium and uranium are needed.’
  • ‘Enrichment is a process of purifying uranium for use as nuclear fuel or in weapons.’
  • ‘Depleted uranium is an extremely dense substance derived from enriched uranium.’
  • ‘The Curies discovered radium, a radioactive substance, in uranium oxide ore.’
  • ‘Workers there recently learned that they were exposed to both plutonium and uranium.’
  • ‘And extracting uranium and storing nuclear waste both produce carbon emissions.’
  • ‘This time it was uranium and iron ore which provided the much needed employment opportunities.’
  • ‘Enrichment can produce different grades of uranium that can be used for fuel or nuclear warheads.’
  • ‘The chemical toxicity of uranium is also well known, though somewhat less well understood.’
  • ‘The heavy elements like gold or lead or uranium are very rare in the universe.’
  • ‘Radioactive uranium oxide pellets were found in a controlled area of the plant.’
  • ‘Depleted uranium is derived from natural uranium mined from the earth's crust.’