Uranium Facts for Kids

Periodic Table Uranium
  • Name: Uranium
  • Symbol: U
  • Atomic Number: 92
  • Atomic Weight: 238.02891 u
  • Period: 7
  • Group: N/A

26 Uranium Facts for Kids

  1. Uranium is a chemical element on the periodic table.
  2. Uranium is named after the planet Uranus, which itself is named after Uranus, the Greek god of the sky.
  3. Uranium was discovered in 1789 by German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth.
  4. Uranium was first isolated in 1843 by French chemist Eugène-Melchior Péligot.
  5. The radioactive properties of uranium were discovered in 1896 by French physicist Henri Becquerel.
  6. Uranium has a silvery white color.
  7. Uranium is a solid at room temperature.
  8. The symbol for uranium is U.
  9. The atomic number for uranium is 92.
  10. The standard atomic weight for uranium is 238.02891 u.
  11. The atomic weight of uranium is the highest of all naturally occurring elements.
  12. Uranium is in the actinide element category on the periodic table.
  13. Uranium is a period 7 chemical element, which is the seventh row on the periodic table.
  14. Uranium has no stable isotopes.
  15. The six main isotopes of uranium are 232U, 233U, 234U, 235U, 236U and 238U.
  16. The most common uranium isotopes are uranium-238 and uranium-235.
  17. Uranium-238 accounts for more than 99% of the uranium found on Earth.
  18. The melting point for uranium is 2,070 °F (1,132.2 °C).
  19. The boiling point for uranium is 7,468 °F (4,131 °C).
  20. Around 33% of all mined uranium comes from Kazakhstan.
  21. Uranium naturally forms in a supernova explosion or the merger of two or more neutron stars.
  22. It’s estimated that 31% of the world’s known uranium reserves are in Australia.
  23. The largest deposit of uranium is in South Australia at the Olympic Dam Mine.
  24. Uranium-235 is used as a fuel source in nuclear power plants.
  25. Uranium-235 is used in nuclear weapons, the deadliest weapons man has ever created.
  26. The first uranium-based nuclear weapon used in war was Little Boy. It was dropped on the city Hiroshima in Japan on August 6th, 1945 at 6:15 EST.

Additional Resources on Uranium

  • Uranium (U) – Learn more about the chemical element urainium on the Los Alamos National Laboratory website.
  • What is Uranium? – Discover what uranium is and what it’s used for on the World Nuclear Associationb website.
  • Uranium, What is It? – Find more useful information and facts about uranium on the New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology website.
  • Everything you need to know about uranium – Learn everything and anything about uranium on the Popular Science website.

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