U Uranium
Element Information, Facts, Properties, Trends, Uses, Comparison with other elements

Uranium is a chemical element with symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-white metal in the Actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons.
It belongs to group of the periodic table having trivial name .
Uranium Facts
Read key information and facts about element Uranium
Name | Uranium |
Atomic Number | 92 |
Atomic Symbol | U |
Atomic Weight | 238.02891 |
Phase | Solid |
Color | Silver |
Appearance | - |
Classification | Actinide |
Group in Periodic Table | - |
Group Name | |
Period in Periodic Table | period 7 |
Block in Periodic Table | f -block |
Electronic Configuration | [Rn] 5f3 6d1 7s2 |
Electronic Shell Structure (Electrons per shell) | 2, 8, 18, 32, 21, 9, 2 |
Melting Point | 1408 K |
Boiling Point | 4200 K |
CAS Number | CAS7440-61-1 |
How to Locate Uranium on Periodic Table
Periodic table is arranged by atomic number, number of protons in the nucleus which is same as number of electrons. The atomic number increases from left to right. Periodic table starts at top left ( Atomic number 1) and ends at bottom right (atomic number 118). Therefore you can directly look for atomic number 92 to find Uranium on periodic table.
Another way to read periodic table and locate an element is by using group number (column) and period number (row). To locate Uranium on periodic table look for cross section of group - and period 7 in the modern periodic table.
Uranium History
The element Uranium was discovered by H. Klaproth in year 1789 in Germany. Uranium was first isolated by E.-M. Péligot in 1841. Uranium derived its name from Uranus, the seventh planet in the Solar System.
Klaproth mistakenly identified auranium oxideobtained frompitchblendeas the element itself and named it after the recently discovered planetUranus.
Uranium Presence: Abundance in Nature and Around Us
The table below shows the abundance of Uranium in Universe, Sun, Meteorites, Earth's Crust, Oceans and Human Body.
ppb by weight (1ppb =10^-7 %) | ppb by atoms (1ppb =10^-7 %) | |
---|---|---|
Abundance in Universe | 0.2 | 0.001 |
Abundance in Sun | 1 | 0.004 |
Abundance in Meteorites | 10 | 1 |
Abundance in Earth's Crust | 1800 | 150 |
Abundance in Oceans | 3.3 | 0.086 |
Abundance in Humans | 1 | 0.03 |
Crystal Structure of Uranium
The solid state structure of Uranium is Base Centered Orthorhombic.
The Crystal structure can be described in terms of its unit Cell. The unit Cells repeats itself in three dimensional space to form the structure.
Unit Cell Parameters
The unit cell is represented in terms of its lattice parameters, which are the lengths of the cell edges Lattice Constants (a, b and c)
a | b | c |
---|---|---|
285.37 pm | 586.95 pm | 495.48 pm |
and the angles between them Lattice Angles (alpha, beta and gamma).
alpha | beta | gamma |
---|---|---|
π/2 | π/2 | π/2 |
The positions of the atoms inside the unit cell are described by the set of atomic positions ( xi, yi, zi) measured from a reference lattice point.
The symmetry properties of the crystal are described by the concept of space groups. All possible symmetric arrangements of particles in three-dimensional space are described by the 230 space groups (219 distinct types, or 230 if chiral copies are considered distinct.
Space Group Name | Cmcm |
Space Group Number | 63 |
Crystal Structure | Base Centered Orthorhombic |
Number of atoms per unit cell |

The number of atoms per unit cell in a simple cubic, face-centered cubic and body-centred cubic are 1,4,2 respectively.
Uranium Atomic and Orbital Properties
Uranium atoms have 92 electrons and the electronic shell structure is [2, 8, 18, 32, 21, 9, 2] with Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) 5L6.
Atomic Number | 92 |
Number of Electrons (with no charge) | 92 |
Number of Protons | 92 |
Mass Number | 238 |
Number of Neutrons | 146 |
Shell structure (Electrons per energy level) | 2, 8, 18, 32, 21, 9, 2 |
Electron Configuration | [Rn] 5f3 6d1 7s2 |
Valence Electrons | 5f3 6d1 7s2 |
Valence (Valency) | 6 |
Main Oxidation States | 4, 6 |
Oxidation States | -1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) | 5L6 |
Bohr Atomic Model of Uranium - Electrons per energy level

n | s | p | d | f |
---|
Ground State Electronic Configuration of Uranium - neutral Uranium atom
Abbreviated electronic configuration of Uranium
The ground state abbreviated electronic configuration of Neutral Uranium atom is [Rn] 5f3 6d1 7s2. The portion of Uranium configuration that is equivalent to the noble gas of the preceding period, is abbreviated as [Rn]. For atoms with many electrons, this notation can become lengthy and so an abbreviated notation is used. This is important as it is the Valence electrons 5f3 6d1 7s2, electrons in the outermost shell that determine the chemical properties of the element.
Unabbreviated electronic configuration of neutral Uranium
Complete ground state electronic configuration for the Uranium atom, Unabbreviated electronic configuration
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f3 6d1 7s2
Electrons are filled in atomic orbitals as per the order determined by the Aufbau principle, Pauli Exclusion Principle and Hund’s Rule.

Atomic Structure of Uranium
Uranium atomic radius is 175 pm, while it's covalent radius is - .
Atomic Radius Calculated | 175 pm (1.75 Å) |
Atomic Radius Empirical | 175 pm (1.75 Å) |
Atomic Volume | 12.495 cm3/mol |
Covalent Radius | - |
Van der Waals Radius | 186 pm |
Neutron Cross Section | 7.57 |
Neutron Mass Absorption | 0.0005 |
Atomic Spectrum of Uranium
Uranium Chemical Properties: Uranium Ionization Energies and electron affinity
The electron affinity of Uranium is - .
Valence | 6 |
Electronegativity | 1.38 |
ElectronAffinity | - |
Ionization Energy of Uranium
Refer to table below for Ionization energies of Uranium
Ionization energy number | Enthalpy - kJ/mol |
---|---|
1st | 597.6 |
2nd | 1420 |
Uranium Physical Properties
Refer to below table for Uranium Physical Properties
Density | 19.05 g/cm3(when liquid at m.p density is $17.3 g/cm3) |
Molar Volume | 12.495 cm3/mol |
Elastic Properties
Young Modulus | 208 |
Shear Modulus | 111 GPa |
Bulk Modulus | 100 GPa |
Poisson Ratio | 0.23 |
Hardness of Uranium - Tests to Measure of Hardness of Element
Mohs Hardness | 6 MPa |
Vickers Hardness | 1960 MPa |
Brinell Hardness | 2400 MPa |
Uranium Electrical Properties
Uranium is Conductor of electricity. Refer to table below for the Electrical properties ofUranium
Electrical Conductivity | 3600000 S/m |
Resistivity | 2.79e-7 m Ω |
Superconducting Point | 0.68 |
Uranium Heat and Conduction Properties
Thermal Conductivity | 27 W/(m K) |
Thermal Expansion | 0.0000139 /K |
Uranium Magnetic Properties
Magnetic Type | Paramagnetic |
Curie Point | - |
Mass Magnetic Susceptibility | 2.16e-8 m3/kg |
Molar Magnetic Susceptibility | 5.14e-9 m3/mol |
Volume Magnetic Susceptibility | 0.000411 |
Optical Properties of Uranium
Refractive Index | - |
Acoustic Properties of Uranium
Speed of Sound | 3155 m/s |
Uranium Thermal Properties - Enthalpies and thermodynamics
Refer to table below for Thermal properties of Uranium
Melting Point | 1408 K (1134.85°C, 2074.73 °F) |
Boiling Point | 4200 K (3926.85°C, 7100.33 °F) |
Critical Temperature | - |
Superconducting Point | 0.68 |
Enthalpies of Uranium
Heat of Fusion | 14 kJ/mol |
Heat of Vaporization | 420 kJ/mol |
Heat of Combustion | - |
Uranium Isotopes - Nuclear Properties of Uranium
Uranium has 26 isotopes, with between 217 and 242 nucleons. Uranium has 0 stable naturally occuring isotopes.
Isotopes of Uranium - Naturally occurring stable Isotopes: -.
Isotope | Z | N | Isotope Mass | % Abundance | T half | Decay Mode |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
217U | 92 | 125 | 217 | Synthetic | ||
218U | 92 | 126 | 218 | Synthetic | ||
219U | 92 | 127 | 219 | Synthetic | ||
220U | 92 | 128 | 220 | Synthetic | ||
221U | 92 | 129 | 221 | Synthetic | ||
222U | 92 | 130 | 222 | Synthetic | ||
223U | 92 | 131 | 223 | Synthetic | ||
224U | 92 | 132 | 224 | Synthetic | ||
225U | 92 | 133 | 225 | Synthetic | ||
226U | 92 | 134 | 226 | Synthetic | ||
227U | 92 | 135 | 227 | Synthetic | ||
228U | 92 | 136 | 228 | Synthetic | ||
229U | 92 | 137 | 229 | Synthetic | ||
230U | 92 | 138 | 230 | Synthetic | ||
231U | 92 | 139 | 231 | Synthetic | ||
232U | 92 | 140 | 232 | Synthetic | ||
233U | 92 | 141 | 233 | Synthetic | ||
234U | 92 | 142 | 234 | 0.0055% | Stable | N/A |
235U | 92 | 143 | 235 | 0.72% | Stable | N/A |
236U | 92 | 144 | 236 | Synthetic | ||
237U | 92 | 145 | 237 | Synthetic | ||
238U | 92 | 146 | 238 | 99.2745% | 4.471×10^9 years | AlphaEmission |
239U | 92 | 147 | 239 | Synthetic | ||
240U | 92 | 148 | 240 | Synthetic | ||
241U | 92 | 149 | 241 | Synthetic | ||
242U | 92 | 150 | 242 | Synthetic |
Regulatory and Health - Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines
Database Search
List of unique identifiers to search the element in various chemical registry databases
Database | Identifier number |
---|---|
CAS Number - Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) | CAS7440-61-1 |
RTECS Number | RTECSYR3490000 |
CID Number | CID23989 |
Gmelin Number | Gmelin16315 |
NSC Number | - |
Compare Uranium with other elements
Compare Uranium with all Group elements
Compare Uranium with all Period 7 elements
Compare Uranium with all Actinide elements
FAQs
What is the electronic configuration of Uranium?
The electronic configuration of Uranium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f3 6d1 7s2.
What is the abbreviated electronic configuration of Uranium?
The abbreviated electronic configuration of Uranium is [Rn] 5f3 6d1 7s2. To form abbreviated notation of electronic configuration, the completely filled subshells are replaced by the noble gas of the preceding period in square brackets.
What is the symbol of Uranium?
Symbol of Uranium is U. Uranium is a chemical element with symbol U and atomic number 92.
What is the position of Uranium in the Periodic Table?
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. Uranium is the 92 element on the periodic table. It is located in group null and period 7 in the modern periodic table.
What is the atomic number of Uranium?
The atomic number of Uranium is 92.
What is the color of Uranium?
Uranium is of Silver color.
Who discovered Uranium?
The element Uranium was discovered by H. Klaproth in year 1789 in Germany. Uranium was first isolated by E.-M. Péligot in 1841.
How many valence electrons does a Uranium atom have?
Uranium has 6 valence electrons. Uranium has 92 electrons out of which 6 valence electrons are present in the 5f3 6d1 7s2 outer orbitals of atom.
What is the melting Point of Uranium?
Melting Point of Uranium is 1408 K.
What is the boiling Point of Uranium?
Boiling Point of Uranium is 4200 K.
What is the melting Point of Uranium in Kelvin?
Melting Point of Uranium in Kelvin is 1408 K.
What is the boiling Point of Uranium in Kelvin?
Boiling Point of Uranium in Kelvin is 4200 K.
What is the electronic configuration of Uranium 92?
The electronic configuration of Uranium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f3 6d1 7s2.
How do you write the electron configuration for Uranium?
The electronic configuration of Uranium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f3 6d1 7s2.