First New Heavy Isotope Of Radioactive Uranium Discovered In Over 40 Years

Scientists have announced the production of Uranium-241 for the first time, filling a gap in the long list of the heavy metal’s isotopes. At an estimated 40 minutes, the half-life is far too short for any U-241 formed in supernovas or kilonovas to survive. On the other hand, unlike many isotopes with half-lives measured in micro or nanoseconds, this one is long enough to study its properties.

Elements are defined by the number of protons in their nucleus, but (hydrogen aside) also need neutrons there to hold things together. Elements can have varying numbers of neutrons, creating…

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News Source: https://www.iflscience.com/first-new-heavy-isotope-of-radioactive-uranium-discovered-in-over-40-years-68497


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