Uranium-235

Uranium-235, 235U
Uranium metal highly enriched in uranium-235
General
Symbol235U
Namesuranium-235, 235U, U-235
Protons (Z)92
Neutrons (N)143
Nuclide data
Natural abundance0.72%
Half-life (t1/2)703800000 years
Isotope mass235.0439299 Da
Spin7/2−
Excess energy40914.062±1.970 keV
Binding energy1783870.285±1.996 keV
Parent isotopes235Pa
235Np
239Pu
Decay products231Th
Decay modes
Decay modeDecay energy (MeV)
Alpha4.679
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]

  1. ^ "#Standard Reaction: 235U(n,f)". www-nds.iaea.org. IAEA. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  2. ^ ""Some Physics of Uranium", UIC.com.au". Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved 2009-01-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Capture-to-fission Ratio". nuclear-power.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  4. ^ Cabell, M. J.; Slee, L. J. (1962). "The ratio of neutron capture to fission for uranium-235". Journal of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry. 24 (12): 1493–1500. doi:10.1016/0022-1902(62)80002-5.

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