Inhoudsopgave
Hoe lang blijft uranium radioactief?
Dit afval is levensgevaarlijk en raakt pas na 240.000 jaar zijn radioactiviteit kwijt. Al die tijd blijft het afval schadelijk voor mens en milieu en moet het weggeborgen worden en bewaakt blijven.
Wat is er gevaarlijk aan radioactief afval?
Radioactief afval bevat stoffen die ioniserende straling uitzenden. Die straling is bijzonder energierijk. Ze kan veranderingen aanbrengen in de materie waarin ze doordringt. Daardoor kan ze levende weefsels beschadigen en is ze gevaarlijk voor mens en milieu.
What is neptunium?
Neptunium is a chemical element with the symbol Np and atomic number 93. A radioactive actinide metal, neptunium is the first transuranic element. Its position in the periodic table just after uranium, named after the planet Uranus, led to it being named after Neptune, the next planet beyond Uranus.
What are the dangers of neptunium?
It is radioactive, poisonous, pyrophoric, and capable of accumulating in bones, which makes the handling of neptunium dangerous. Although many false claims of its discovery were made over the years, the element was first synthesized by Edwin McMillan and Philip H. Abelson at the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory in 1940.
What are some examples of neptunium telluride compounds?
Chalcogenides, pnictides, and carbides. The known neptunium telluride compounds Np Te, NpTe 3, Np 3 Te 4, Np 2 Te 3, and Np 2 O 2 Te are formed by similar procedures to the selenides and Np 2 O 2 Te is isostructural to the equivalent uranium and plutonium compounds. No neptunium− polonium compounds have been reported.
When was neptunium first discovered?
Although many false claims of its discovery were made over the years, the element was first synthesized by Edwin McMillan and Philip H. Abelson at the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory in 1940. Since then, most neptunium has been and still is produced by neutron irradiation of uranium in nuclear reactors.