Uranium 241

About Uranium 241:

• It has an atomic number of 92 and a mass number of 241.
• The researchers also calculated that uranium-241 likely has a half-life of just 40 minutes.

How was uranium-241 found?

• The researchers accelerated uranium-238 nuclei into plutonium-198 nuclei at the KEK Isotope Separation System (KISS).
• In a process called multinucleon transfer, the two isotopes exchange protons and neutrons. The resulting nuclear fragments contained different isotopes.

Key facts about the Uranium

• It was discovered in 1789 by Martin Klaproth, a German chemist.
• It is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the periodic table, with atomic number 92.
• It has the highest atomic weight of all naturally occurring elements.
• It occurs naturally in low concentrations in soil, rock and water, and is commercially extracted from uranium-bearing minerals such as uraninite.
• Uranium ore can be mined from open pits or underground excavations.
• The ore can then be crushed and treated at a mill to separate the valuable uranium from the ore.
• Uranium may also be dissolved directly from the ore deposits in the ground (in-situ leaching) and pumped to the surface.

Q1) What is an isotope?

An isotope is a variant of an element that has the same number of protons in its atomic nucleus but a different number of neutrons.

Source: In pursuit of a ‘magic number’, physicists discover new uranium isotope

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