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uranium: Quick Facts

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Uranium cubes reveal why the German nuclear project failed • Nov. 4, 2026, 4:56 PM ET (Ars Technica)

Facts

Also Known As U

Photos and Videos

A labeled diagram displays the periodic table entry for uranium, showing its atomic number 92, symbol U, atomic weight 238.02891, electron configuration, and name. Additional icons indicate uranium is an actinoid element, solid at room temperature, has an orthorhombic crystal structure, and its higher-valence oxides have equal acid-base properties.
Chunk of uranium mineral with mottled yellow, black, and brown coloration, displayed against a white background.
Figure 8: Transmission electron micrograph of single uranium atoms and microcrystals obtained from a solution of uranyl acetate.
A scientific graph plots average nuclear binding energy per nucleon (in MeV) against atomic mass number, showing a sharp rise at low mass numbers, peaking near iron (Fe), then gradually declining for heavier elements. Key isotopes are labeled along the curve.
Diagram showing the sequence of uranium nucleus fission after being struck by a neutron: the nucleus absorbs the neutron, deforms, splits into fragments, releases more neutrons and gamma rays, and emits beta particles as the fragments decay. Labels identify neutrons, protons, beta particles, and gamma rays, with accompanying explanatory text.
Fission of a uranium nucleus by a neutron
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Topics
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Key People

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Frank Harold Spedding
American chemist
Becquerel, Henri
Henri Becquerel
French physicist
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Willard Frank Libby
American chemist
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Cyril Stanley Smith
American metallurgist
Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner
Austrian physicist
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Otto Robert Frisch
Austrian physicist
Martin Heinrich Klaproth, engraving
Martin Heinrich Klaproth
German chemist
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Fritz Strassmann
German chemist

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