uranium: Isotopes and Radioactive Decay

Naturally occurring uranium is a mixture of three isotopes. The most abundant (greater than 99%) and most stable is uranium-238 (half-life 4.5×10⁹ years); also present are uranium-235 (half-life 7×10⁸ years) and uranium-234 (half-life 2.5×10⁵ years). There are 16 other known isotopes. Uranium-238 is the parent substance of the 18-member radioactive decay series known as the uranium series (see radioactivity). Some relatively long-lived members of this series include uranium-234, thorium-230, and radium-226; the final stable member of the series is lead-206. Uranium-235, also called actinouranium, is the parent substance of the so-called actinium series, a 15-member radioactive decay series ending in stable lead-207; protactinium-231 and actinium-227 are the relatively stable members of this series. Because the rate of decay in these series is constant, it is possible to estimate the age of uranium samples (e.g., minerals) from the relative amounts of parent substance and final product (see dating).

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Discovery and Uses
• Natural Occurrence and Processing
• Isotopes and Radioactive Decay
• Properties

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