Uranium-232

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Uranium-232 Full table
General
Name, symbol	Uranium-232,232U
Neutrons
Protons
Nuclide data
Half-life	68.9 years
Parent isotopes	236Pu (α) 232Np (β+) 232Pa (β-)
Decay products	228Th

Uranium 232 (₉₂²³²U) is an isotope of Uranium. It has a half life of 68.9 years and is a side product in the thorium cycle. It has been cited as an obstacle to nuclear proliferation using ²³³U as the fissile material, because the intense gamma radiation of ²³²U's decay products makes the ²³³U contaminated with it more difficult to handle.

Unusually for an isotope with even mass number, U-232 has a significant neutron absorption cross section for fission (thermal neutrons 75 barns, resonance integral 380) as well as for neutron capture (thermal 73, resonance integral 280).

Uranium-231	Isotopes of Uranium	Uranium-233
Produced from: Plutonium-236 (α) Neptunium-232 (β+) Protactinium-232 (β-)	Decay chain	Decays to: Thorium-228 (α)