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Uranium and thorium are both metals in the actinoid series of the Periodic Table. They are both silvery colored, both softer than steel, somewhat ductile, and not very good conductors of electricity. They are somewhat similar chemically.
Uranium and thorium are both naturally occurring radioactive substances. In fact they are the only radioactive substances occurring in any abundance on earth. Neither is very commonly found, but thorium is much more common on land in minerals and ores.
They can both be used for fuel in nuclear reactors, though the reactors designed for them are differently designed so as to take advantage of them most efficiently.
Uranium differs from thorium in one major way, which is that it has a fissile isotope. In fact, Uranium-235 is the only fissile isotope occurring in nature. The fact that it is fissile means that it will naturally undergo fission spontaneously. Other naturally occurring isotopes of both uranium and thorium are fissionable, meaning that it can be induced to undergo fission by colliding a neutron into its nucleus.
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SteveUranium and thorium are both radioactive elements that occur naturally in the Earth's crust. They are used as fuel in nuclear reactors to generate electricity and have similar properties that make them suitable for this purpose. Both elements undergo radioactive decay, emitting radiation and transforming into different elements over time.
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How many fewer protons are found in thorium than uranium?
Thorium has 2 fewer protons than uranium. Uranium has 92 protons, while thorium has 90 protons.
How common is thorium?
Thorium is relatively abundant in the Earth's crust, more so than uranium. However, it is not as commonly used as uranium in nuclear reactors due to technological and economic reasons. Research is ongoing to explore thorium as a potentially more efficient and safer alternative to uranium for nuclear energy production.
Uranium -238 undergoes alpha decay Therefore uranium -238 will?
Uranium 238 is transformed in thorium 234 by alpha decay.
Is thorium better than uranium?
Yes, we can get more electricity from thorium, if you are asking about the supply. When 232Th is used in a nuclear reactor, it is bred to become 233U. This isotope of uranium has about as much energy available as 235U, so the amount of energy per fission event is about the same for thorium as it is for uranium. Aside from that, however, there are important differences. Thorium does not need to be enriched, so all of it can be used. The amount of thorium we have is a multiple of the amount of uranium. The combination means that, where we only have a few decades supply of uranium, we have enough thorium to last thousands of years.
When uranium radiate alpha particles what element is produced?
When uranium radiates alpha particles, it transforms into thorium. Thorium is a radioactive element that is produced as a result of the decay of uranium through alpha emission.
