What happens when thorium-232 absorbs a neutron?
When a nucleus of thorium-232 absorbs, or “captures,” a neutron, it becomes thorium-233, whose half-life is approximately 21.83 minutes. After that time the nuclide decays through electron emission to protactinium-233, whose half-life is 26.967 days.
What does thorium-232 turn into after it goes through alpha decay?
What we mean is that Thorium-232 decays into Radium-228 plus an alpha particle. That isotope of Radium subsequently decays into Actinium-228 via beta decay, and so on until Lead-208 is the final end product.
How many neutrons does thorium-232 have?
142
Thorium-232
| General | |
|---|---|
| Protons (Z) | 90 |
| Neutrons (N) | 142 |
| Nuclide data | |
| Natural abundance | 99.98% |
How does thorium-232 become uranium-233?
Uranium-233 is produced by the neutron irradiation of thorium-232. When thorium-232 absorbs a neutron, it becomes thorium-233, which has a half-life of only 22 minutes. Thorium-233 decays into protactinium-233 through beta decay.
Why don’t we build thorium reactors?
Thorium cannot in itself power a reactor; unlike natural uranium, it does not contain enough fissile material to initiate a nuclear chain reaction. As a result it must first be bombarded with neutrons to produce the highly radioactive isotope uranium-233 – ‘so these are really U-233 reactors,’ says Karamoskos.
Do thorium reactors create waste?
Compared to uranium reactors, thorium reactors produce far less waste and the waste that is generated is much less radioactive and much shorter-lived.
What is the decay constant for thorium-232?
The 232Th decay constant is imprecise (±0.5%) relative to those of 235U or 238U (<0.07%) and may produce systematic age differences of up to 20 m.y. (95%) at 2 Ga between the U-Pb and Th-Pb systems.
What is the half-life of thorium-232?
about 14 billion years
The time required for a radioactive substance to lose 50 percent of its radioactivity by decay is known as the half-life. The half-life of thorium- 232 is very long at about 14 billion years.
How many electrons does thorium-232 have?
Diagram of the nuclear composition and electron configuration of an atom of thorium-232 (atomic number: 90), the most stable isotope of this element. The nucleus consists of 90 protons (red) and 142 neutrons (blue). 90 electrons (green) bind to the nucleus, successively occupying available electron shells (rings).
How is thorium extracted?
Generally, two main methods are commercially applied to separate thorium from mineral monazite that is through either acid digestion or leaching process. In a typical acid digestion process, monazite is cracked using sulfuric acid at 230 °C for 4 h.
How is thorium converted to uranium?
To turn it into nuclear fuel, it needs to be combined with a fissile material like plutonium, which releases neutrons as it undergoes fission. These are captured by thorium atoms, converting them into a fissile isotope of uranium called U233.
Is thorium cheaper than uranium?
Thorium is a heavy element that is far more abundant than uranium. It is up to 200 times more energy-dense than uranium — and it’s also cheap. Thorium is a major waste product of rare-earth metal mining, and aside from nuclear fuel, it has few commercial uses.