Question

What are the isotopic symbols for uranium -238 and uranium-235?

Answer 1

To answer this question, we first need to understand what isotopes are. Isotopes are atoms having variable numbers of neutrons in the same element. Isotopes have varying atomic masses because they have various numbers of neutrons. The weighted average mass of an element's naturally occurring isotopes is used to compute the element's average atomic mass.

Complete answer:
Uranium: Uranium has an atomic number of 92, which means the atomic structure has 92 protons and 92 electrons. The nucleus of U-238 has 146 neutrons, however the number of neutrons can range from 141 to 146. Because uranium is radioactive, it emits particles and changes into different elements all the time. Uranium's radioactive decay series is well-known. The most prevalent isotopes of uranium are U-238 and U-235 (which contains 143 neutrons). Uranium naturally contains all three isotopes (U-238, U-235, and U-234), and its composition rarely deviates from the norm by more than 0.01 percent.
Uranium-238: With a relative abundance of 99 percent, uranium-238 (U-238) is the most abundant isotope of uranium found in nature.
Uranium-235: Uranium-235 (U-235) is a uranium isotope that accounts for 0.72 percent of natural uranium. It is fissile, unlike the majority isotope uranium-238, and can maintain a fission chain reaction. It is the only fissile isotope found as a primordial nuclide in nature.
Isotopic symbols for uranium -238 and uranium-235:
Uranium-238: $_{92}^{238}U$.
Uranium-235: $_{92}^{235}U$.

Note:
Uranium is primarily utilized as a fuel in nuclear power reactors that generate energy. Aside from producing around 14% of the world's electricity, uranium is used to make a variety of radio-isotopes for a variety of purposes, including: Radioisotopes are utilized in medicine for diagnosis and research.