Thorium
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| General Properties | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atomic number | Predicted atomic mass | Half-life of longest living isotope | Electron Configuration | Density | Melting point | Boiling point | First discovered | Occurance |
| 90 | 232.038amu | Around 14 billion years | [Rn] 6d2 7s2 | 11.7g/cm3 | 1750°C | 4785°C | 1829 | (Th,U)SiO4 (Thorite ore) |
| General Properties | |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 90 |
| Atomic mass | 232.038amu |
| Half-life of longest living isotope | Around 14 billion years |
| Electron Configuration | [Rn] 6d2 7s2 |
| Density | 11.7g/cm3 |
| Melting point | 1750°C |
| Boiling point | 4785°C |
| First discovered | 1829 |
| Occurance | (Th,U)SiO4 (Thorite ore) |
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Description and uses
Thorium is the 90th element of the periodic table. It was discovered in 1829 when Jöns Jacob Berzelius extracted it from thorite ore (thorium silicate).
Thorium is a potential source of fuel. It is much more common than uranium, and contains more energy. However, it is not
fissile itself, so has to be turned into a fissile isotope, such as 233U, and this is quite expensive to do.
The most common isotope of thorium is 232Th, with a half-life of around 14 billion years.