Uranyl-nitrate-hexahydrate under UV light. Uranyl-nitrate is one of the most important salts of uranium, it is important for nuclear reprocessing, it is made by dissolving the spent nuclear fuel rods or yellowcake in nitric acid.

An interesting use for this highly water soluble uranium salt was a fuel for aqueous homogeneous reactors. In these reactors (water boilers) a soluble nuclear salt (usually uranyl sulfate or uranyl nitrate) was dissolved in water. The fuel is mixed with the coolant and the moderator, the water can be either heavy water or ordinary (light) water. The heavy water aqueous homogeneous reactor can achieve criticality (turn on) with natural uranium, so no enriched uranium is needed for this reactor.

Even since on the box everyone could read, that this compound is radioactive, how did I survive to take this photo? The box contains depleted uranyl-nitrate-hexahydrate, what is mainly Uranium-238, what has a really long half life (4468000000 years) and it only produces alpha radiation, what is stopped by a sheet of paper, or a few cm of air.

When working with “safe” low activity radioactive alpha emitting isotopes, the most important is to prevent the ingestion, since it is highly water soluble and causes severe renal insufficiency, acute tubular necrosis and is a lymphocyte mitogen. Target organs include the kidneys, liver, lungs and brain. What does this mean? You will die from it and it will hurt very-very much.

9:30 pm • 24 September 2014 • 415 notes • View comments