General | |
---|---|
Symbol | 235U |
Names | uranium-235, 235U, U-235 |
Protons (Z) | 92 |
Neutrons (N) | 143 |
Nuclide data | |
Natural abundance | 0.72% |
Half-life (t1/2) | 703800000 years |
Isotope mass | 235.0439299 Da |
Spin | 7/2− |
Excess energy | 40914.062±1.970 keV |
Binding energy | 1783870.285±1.996 keV |
Parent isotopes | 235Pa 235Np 239Pu |
Decay products | 231Th |
Decay modes | |
Decay mode | Decay energy (MeV) |
Alpha | 4.679 |
Isotopes of uranium Complete table of nuclides |
Uranium-235 (235
U
or U-235) is an isotope of uranium making up about 0.72% of natural uranium. Unlike the predominant isotope uranium-238, it is fissile, i.e., it can sustain a nuclear chain reaction. It is the only fissile isotope that exists in nature as a primordial nuclide.
Uranium-235 has a half-life of 703.8 million years. It was discovered in 1935 by Arthur Jeffrey Dempster. Its fission cross section for slow thermal neutrons is about 584.3±1 barns.[1] For fast neutrons it is on the order of 1 barn.[2] Most neutron absorptions induce fission, though a minority (about 15%) result in the formation of uranium-236.[3][4]
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