uranium-235

English

Etymology

From uranium + 235 (the atomic mass of the isotope).

Noun

uranium-235 (uncountable)

  1. (physics) A fissile isotope of uranium, used for energy generation and in atomic weapons, containing 143 neutrons. It has a half-life of 7.038×108 years; it decays into thorium-231 and ultimately lead.
    • 2022 November 21, Lorenzo Tondo, Peter Beaumont, “Ukraine to start evacuations in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions as winter sets in”, in The Guardian‎[1]:
      The Zaporizhzhia plant provided about a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity before Russia’s invasion, and has been forced to operate on backup generators a number of times. It has six Soviet-designed water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing uranium-235.

Usage notes

In scientific literature, the more technically correct abbreviation 23592U (or 235U) is used, rather than U-235.

See also

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