Isotope Of The U-235: Past, Present, And Future

An isotope is an element with a different number of neutrons in its nucleus. Countless variations of isotopes exist in the world with various applications in different fields. One such isotope is Uranium 235 which is most known for its use in the Uranium Bomb, a massive bomb capable of destroying entire cities. It is found naturally in the environment and can be made from U238. However, ballistics is not all that U-235 is capable of doing. Because of the atom bomb, U-235 can also be used in the dating of rocks. The element is fissionable and is sometimes employed in nuclear reactors. The isotope is imperative in its fields. First, the application of U-235 is most widely known for its application in the nuclear bomb. This bomb was created as part of the Manhattan project. The project started 1939 and eventually developed the first Uranium Bomb. These bombs were capable of achieving massive damage because a constant Nuclear Fission occurred upon detonation which would wreak havoc on anything that stood in its way. To date, a nuclear bomb has only been used twice in a war, but many nuclear submarines carry nuclear warheads ready to use at any given time.

The nuclear reactors use it as one other isotope to continue the radioactive reaction and to make it more efficient. This efficiency boost is caused by the fact that U 235 is the isotype that most easily creates a self-sustaining nuclear reaction. However, there is a safety risk. As stated earlier, this isotope was used within a bomb. When used in reactors unsafely U 235 could cause an explosion similar to that of the Chernobyl incident, leading to a substantial effect on the environment. To counteract this risk, containment structures designed to contain U235 and other radioisotopes have been