Uranium is a kind of silvery white shiny metal that is slightly softer than copper and has a dense and ductile silver-white radioactive metal. Very pure uranium can be drawn into a 0.35 mm diameter filament or a thin foil with a thickness of 0.1 mm. The proportion of uranium is very large, similar to gold, weighing about 19 grams per cubic centimeter. Uranium is superconducting and ductile near absolute zero. Uranium is chemically active, easily reacts with most non-metals, and can form alloys with many metals. In 1841 , the French chemist Paoli used potassium to reduce uranium tetrachloride to make uranium metal. Melting-point metal uranium is 1132 ° C, boiling point of 3818 ° C, a density of about 19.05 g / cm?. When massive metallic uranium is exposed to air, the surface is covered with an oxide layer and loses its luster; powdered uranium spontaneously ignites at room temperature, in the air, and even in water.
Uranium has been used as a pigment for glass dyeing. After the uranium nuclear fission was discovered in 1938 , it began to become the main nuclear material. However, pure metal uranium is now a nuclear fuel used in nuclear reactors and atomic bombs. It is also used in a small amount for oxygen purging and inert gas purification (deoxygenation, hydrogen) in electron tube manufacturing. Depleted uranium has a wide range of uses in civilian applications: it can produce radiation shielding materials, ship or aircraft balance weights ( such as a 1,500 kilograms of depleted uranium on a Boeing 747 ) , oil drilling, high-performance gyro rotors, and inertial flywheels. In military terms, depleted uranium is mainly used to make ballistic missile balancers, various armor-piercing missiles, and vehicle armor.
Uranium is widely distributed in nature. The average content of uranium in the earth's crust is about 2.5 parts per million, that is, an average of 2.5 grams of uranium per tonne of crustal material, which is more than the content of tungsten, mercury, gold, silver and other elements. high. The content of uranium in various rocks is very uneven, and the distribution of uranium deposits is very limited.
   Foreign uranium resources are mainly distributed in the United States, Canada, South Africa, South-West Africa, Australia and other countries and regions. With the extensive and deep exploration activities, uranium reserves will certainly increase in the future. China is a country with little uranium resources. According to the reserves of a number of uranium ore fields that China has successively provided to the IAEA in recent years, after China’s uranium mine proved reserves ranks 10th in the world, the size of the deposits is mainly medium and small ( more than 60% of the total reserves ) . The ore grade is low, and phosphorus, sulfur, and non-ferrous and rare metal minerals are usually associated with or associated with it. There are four main types of deposits granite type, volcanic type, sandstone type, silicon type shale uranium deposits, it has reserves of 38% of total reserves, 22%, 19.5%, 16%. Uranium deposits in coal-bearing strata, uranium deposits in alkaline rocks, and other types of uranium deposits account for a small proportion of proved reserves, but they have potential for prospecting. The uranium deposits in China are divided into two major regions: the north and the south. The uranium deposits in the northern part are mainly volcanic and the uranium deposits in the south are mainly granite.
Uranium has been used as a pigment for glass dyeing. After the uranium nuclear fission was discovered in 1938 , it began to become the main nuclear material. However, pure metal uranium is now a nuclear fuel used in nuclear reactors and atomic bombs. It is also used in a small amount for oxygen purging and inert gas purification (deoxygenation, hydrogen) in electron tube manufacturing. Depleted uranium has a wide range of uses in civilian applications: it can produce radiation shielding materials, ship or aircraft balance weights ( such as a 1,500 kilograms of depleted uranium on a Boeing 747 ) , oil drilling, high-performance gyro rotors, and inertial flywheels. In military terms, depleted uranium is mainly used to make ballistic missile balancers, various armor-piercing missiles, and vehicle armor.
Uranium is widely distributed in nature. The average content of uranium in the earth's crust is about 2.5 parts per million, that is, an average of 2.5 grams of uranium per tonne of crustal material, which is more than the content of tungsten, mercury, gold, silver and other elements. high. The content of uranium in various rocks is very uneven, and the distribution of uranium deposits is very limited.
   Foreign uranium resources are mainly distributed in the United States, Canada, South Africa, South-West Africa, Australia and other countries and regions. With the extensive and deep exploration activities, uranium reserves will certainly increase in the future. China is a country with little uranium resources. According to the reserves of a number of uranium ore fields that China has successively provided to the IAEA in recent years, after China’s uranium mine proved reserves ranks 10th in the world, the size of the deposits is mainly medium and small ( more than 60% of the total reserves ) . The ore grade is low, and phosphorus, sulfur, and non-ferrous and rare metal minerals are usually associated with or associated with it. There are four main types of deposits granite type, volcanic type, sandstone type, silicon type shale uranium deposits, it has reserves of 38% of total reserves, 22%, 19.5%, 16%. Uranium deposits in coal-bearing strata, uranium deposits in alkaline rocks, and other types of uranium deposits account for a small proportion of proved reserves, but they have potential for prospecting. The uranium deposits in China are divided into two major regions: the north and the south. The uranium deposits in the northern part are mainly volcanic and the uranium deposits in the south are mainly granite.