Uranium oxide is an oxide of the element uranium.
The metal uranium forms several oxides:
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Uranium dioxide or uranium(IV) oxide (UO2, the mineral uraninite or pitchblende)
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Diuranium pentoxide or uranium(V) oxide (U2O5)
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Uranium trioxide or uranium(VI) oxide (UO3)
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Triuranium octoxide (U3O8), the most stable uranium oxide; yellowcake typically contains 70 to 90 percent triuranium octoxide)
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Uranyl peroxide (UO2O2 or UO4)
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Amorphous uranium(VI) oxide ( Am-U2O7)
Uranium dioxide is oxidized in contact with oxygen to form triuranium octoxide.
- 3 UO2 + O2 → U3O8 at 250 °C (523 K)
Preparation 38
During World War II, "Preparation 38" was the codename for uranium oxide used by German scientists.
[Per F. Dahl, Heavy water and the wartime race for nuclear energy (Institute of Physics Publishing, London 1999), p. 135][ Uranium Oxide International Bio-Analytical Industries, Inc. ]
