Yellowcake
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Names | |
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Other names
urania
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Identifiers | |
UNII | |
Properties | |
variable, see text | |
Appearance | Yellow granules (as Yellowcake); Brown or black granules (UO2 and others) |
Melting point | 2,880 °C (5,220 °F; 3,150 K) |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Yellowcake (also called urania) is a type of
Overview
Originally raw uranium ore was extracted by traditional mining and this is still the case in many mines. It is first crushed to a fine powder by
Initially, the compounds formed in yellowcakes were not identified; in 1970, the
Yellowcake is produced by all countries in which uranium ore is mined.[1]
Further processing
Yellowcake is used in the preparation of uranium fuel for
Purified uranium can also be
Radioactivity and safety
The uranium in yellowcake is almost exclusively (>99%) U-238, with very low radioactivity. U-238 has a half-life of 4.468 billion years and emits radiation at a slow rate. This stage of processing is before the more radioactive U-235 is concentrated, so by definition, this stage of uranium has the same radioactivity as it did in nature when it was underground, as the proportions of isotopes are at their native relative concentration. Yellowcake is hazardous when inhaled.[5]
See also
- Uranium ore deposits
- Uranium mining
- Uraninite, an ore that is mostly uranium dioxide (UO2)
- Yellowcake forgery, fraudulently depicted Saddam Hussein trying to buy uranium powder
- Sequoyah Fuels Corporation, an American company involved in yellowcake processing
- COMINAK, a Niger uranium mining and processing company
- SOMAIR, a Niger uranium mining and processing company
- Vanadium(V) oxide, hydrous precipitates of which are known as "redcake"
References
- ^ a b Gil, Laura (2018), "Uranium leaching: How yellowcake is made", IAEA Bulletin (Online), vol. 59, iss, 2, pp. 22-23.
- ^ "Yellowcake". U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- ^ "Yellowcake". European Nuclear Society nuclear glossary. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- S2CID 97023067.
- ^ Keith, Sam; Faroon, Obaid; Roney, Nickolette; Scinicariello, Franco; Wilbur, Sharon; Ingerman, Lisa; Llados, Fernando; Plewak, Daneil; Wohlers, David; Diamond, Gary (February 2013). Health Effects. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (US). Retrieved 22 August 2021.