Uranium oxide

Uranium oxide is an oxide of the element uranium.

The metal uranium forms several oxides:

  • Uranium dioxide or uranium(IV) oxide (UO2, the mineral uraninite or pitchblende)
  • Diuranium pentoxide or uranium(V) oxide (U2O5)
  • Uranium trioxide or uranium(VI) oxide (UO3)
  • Triuranium octoxide (U3O8), the most stable uranium oxide; yellowcake typically contains 70 to 90 percent triuranium octoxide)
  • Uranyl peroxide (UO2O2 or UO4)
  • Amorphous uranium(VI) oxide (Am-U2O7)

Uranium dioxide is oxidized in contact with oxygen to form triuranium octoxide.

3 UO2 + O2 → U3O8; at 700 °C (970 K)

Preparation 38

During World War II, "Preparation 38" was the codename for uranium oxide used by German scientists.[1][2][3]

References
  1. Per F. Dahl, Heavy water and the wartime race for nuclear energy (Institute of Physics Publishing, London 1999), p. 135
  2. Uranium Oxide International Bio-Analytical Industries, Inc. Archived January 18, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Geoffrey Brooks (1992). Hitler's Nuclear Weapons. Pen and Sword. p. 40. ISBN 9780850523447.
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