uranium 235

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. the radioactive uranium isotope having a mass number of 235, comprising 0.715 percent of natural uranium. When bombarded with neutrons it undergoes fission with the release of energy.

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Etymology

Origin of uranium 235

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

This is especially true if your fission system relies on highly enriched uranium—that is, uranium composed of 20 percent or more of the fissile isotope uranium 235.

From Scientific American • Jan. 27, 2022

The deal allows research, which now has improved their breakout time down to a day or two, by means of rapid centrifuge enrichment of uranium 235.

From New York Times • Mar. 21, 2018

Compared weight-by-weight, uranium 235 delivers a million times more energy than coal, which itself already represents chemical energy in a highly concentrated form.

From Scientific American • Jan. 20, 2012

Lawmakers set the budget at 235 million yen after uranium 235, a fuel used in atomic reactors, according to his autobiography.

From BusinessWeek • Oct. 20, 2011

When a uranium nucleus splits, its loose neutrons may never hit another uranium 235 nucleus.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland