Uranium oxide

Uranium oxide is an oxide of the element uranium.

The metal uranium forms several oxides:

• Uranium dioxide or uranium(IV) oxide (UO₂, the mineral Uraninite or pitchblende)
• Uranium trioxide or uranium(VI) oxide (UO₃)
• Triuranium octoxide (U₃O₈, the most stable uranium oxide, yellowcake typically contains 70 to 90 percent triuranium octoxide)
• Uranyl peroxide (UO₂O₂ or UO₄)

Uranium dioxide is oxidized in contact with oxygen to form triuranium octoxide.

3 UO₂ + O₂ → U₃O₈; at 700 °C (970 K)

Preparation 38

During World War II "Preparation 38" was the codename for uranium oxide used by the German scientists.Per F. Dahl, Heavy water and the wartime race for nuclear energy (Institute of Physics Publishing, London 1999), p. 135

References

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