What is the normal phase of thorium?
Thorium (chemical symbol Th) is a naturally occurring radioactive metal found at trace levels in soil, rocks, water, plants and animals. Thorium is solid under normal conditions. There are natural and man-made forms of thorium, all of which are radioactive. In general, naturally occurring thorium exists as Th-232, Th-230 or Th-228.
Which state in India produces maximum thorium?
Uranium in India
- India has no significant reserves of Uranium. ...
- India imports thousands of tonnes of uranium from Russia, Kazakhstan, France, and
- India is trying hard to import uranium from Australia and Canada. ...
Are thorium reactors better than nuclear reactors?
The molten salt reactor is powered by liquid thorium instead of uranium. Molten salt reactors are expected to be safer than traditional uranium nuclear reactors, as thorium cools and solidifies quickly in the open air, meaning that a leak would theoretically result in less radiation contamination for the surrounding environment.
What are the hazards of thorium?
- solid at room temperature
- metal with a silver luster however will tarnish and turn black when exposed to air
- melting point at about 1,700 degrees Celsius or 3,100 degrees Fahrenheit
- boiling point at about 4,000 degrees Celsius or 7,200 degrees Fahrenheit
- density of 11.72 grams per cubic centimeter
- odorless
- tasteless
What is thorium in its standard state?
Standard state: solid at 298 K. Appearance: silvery white.
Is thorium a solid liquid or gas?
solidThoriumPhase at STPsolidMelting point2023 K (1750 °C, 3182 °F)Boiling point5061 K (4788 °C, 8650 °F)Density (near r.t. )11.7 g/cm347 more rows
Is thorium 232 stable or unstable?
Thorium is an element that occurs naturally in the earth's crust. The only naturally occurring isotope of thorium is 232Th and it is unstable and radioactive.
Is thorium 228 stable?
Thorium has a characteristic terrestrial isotopic composition and thus a standard atomic weight can be given. Thirty-one radioisotopes have been characterized, with the most stable being 232Th, 230Th with a half-life of 75,380 years, 229Th with a half-life of 7,917 years, and 228Th with a half-life of 1.92 years.
Is thorium a gas?
thorium (Th), radioactive chemical element of the actinoid series of the periodic table, atomic number 90; it is a useful nuclear reactor fuel. Thorium was discovered (1828) by Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius....thorium.atomic number90electron configuration of gaseous atomic state[Rn]6d27s25 more rows•May 26, 2022
What is the state of matter of thorium at room temperature?
Thorium is a chemical element with symbol Th and atomic number 90. Classified as an actinide, Thorium is a solid at room temperature.
Is Thorium 234 radioactive?
Each of the three is the ancestor of a distinct family of natural radioactive elements, perhaps the most important of which is that of uranium 238. A nucleus of uranium 238 decays by alpha emission to form a daughter nucleus, thorium 234.
What is the half-life of thorium 234?
24.1 daysThorium-234 (half-life = 24.1 days) was first measured in the oceans in the late 1960's by Bhat et al.
What is the decay series of thorium?
The thorium series is one of three classical radioactive series beginning with naturally occurring thorium-232. This radioactive decay chain consists of unstable heavy atomic nuclei that decay through a sequence of alpha and beta decays until a stable nucleus is achieved.
Is thorium named after Thor?
In 1815, for example, Berzelius isolated a new element from a mineral sent to him from the Swedish mining town of Falun and named it thorium after the Scandinavian god of thunder, Thor....Discovery date1829Origin of the nameThorium is named after Thor, the Scandinavian god of war.Allotropes1 more row
What is the half-life of RA 226?
approximately 1600 yrA radioactive decay curve for radium-226, which has a half-life of approximately 1600 yr, is given in Figure 8.6.
What does RA 228 decay into?
radon gasAlso called the "decay series.". Radium-228 and Ra-224 are part of the thorium decay series. All isotopes of radium are radioactive. Radium decays to produce radon gas.
Is it a solid liquid or gas?
A solid has a definite shape and volume. A liquid has a definite volume, but takes the shape of its container. A gas lacks either a defined shape or volume. Plasma is similar to a gas in that its particles are very far apart, but a gas is electrically neutral and plasma has a charge.
Why is thorium named after Thor?
Thorium may be three times more abundant on Earth than uranium, it is difficult to estimate, and can also be used in nuclear reactors....Discovery date1829Discovered byJöns Jacob BerzeliusOrigin of the nameThorium is named after Thor, the Scandinavian god of war.Allotropes
What are 10 examples of solids?
Solids are a form of matter that has a definite shape and volume.Gold.Wood.Sand.Steel.Brick.Rock.Copper.Brass.More items...•
Are there 4 states of matter?
There are four natural states of matter: Solids, liquids, gases and plasma.
Where is thorium found?
Thorium is found as the minerals thorite, uranothorite and thorianite. It is also found in monazite, which is the most important commercial source. Several methods are used to produce the metal, such as reducing thorium oxide with calcium or electrolysis of the fluoride.
How long does Thorium live?
Thorium, like uranium, survives on Earth because it has isotopes with long half-lives, such as the predominant one, thorium-232, whose half life is 14 billion years. Glossary. Atomic radius, non-bonded. Half of the distance between two unbonded atoms of the same element when the electrostatic forces are balanced.
What is the name of the metal that Berzelius discovered?
The mineral turned out to be thorium silicate, and it is now known as thorite. Berzelius even produced a sample of metallic thorium by heating thorium fluoride with potassium, and confirmed it as a new metal. The radioactivity of thorium was first demonstrated in 1898 by Gerhard Schmidt and confirmed by Marie Curie.
What is Thorium named after?
Thorium is named after Thor, the Scandinavian god of war. A vertical column in the periodic table. Members of a group typically have similar properties and electron configurations in their outer shell. A horizontal row in the periodic table.
What is the name of the element that Mendeleev predicted would have properties similar to boron?
One of these four, Mendeleev predicted, should have properties very similar to boron, and he named this new element "ekaboron", meaning "like boron". The metal of this new oxide, scandia, was indeed found to have similar properties to this "ekabo ron", thus demonstrating the power of Mendeleev's construct.
Which countries are developing thorium reactors?
India and China are in the process of developing nuclear power plants with thorium reactors, but this is still a very new technology. Thorium dioxide was formerly added to glass during manufacture to increase the refractive index, producing thoriated glass for use in high-quality camera lenses. Biological role.
Which element is 90?
Today, its radioactivity seems logical as when we look at the periodic table, we find thorium, element 90, just after actinium in the last row of the periodic table known as the actinides, comprising of famous radioactive elements such as uranium and plutonium.
How much thorium is in soil?
Small amounts of thorium are present in all rocks, soil, water, plants, and animals. Soil contains an average of about 6 parts of thorium per million parts of soil (6 ppm). More than 99% of natural thorium exists in the form of thorium-232.
What is thorium in mines called?
After most of the thorium is removed, the rocks are called "depleted" ore or tailings.
What is thorium used for?
Thorium is used to make ceramics, gas lantern mantles, and metals used in the aerospace industry and in nuclear reactions.
Which atom density is higher in thorium?
Because the thorium atom density is higher in thorium metal than in any thorium compound, metal is the preferred form of thorium where the highest nuclear reactivity or highest density is wanted.
What is a di (2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid?
Di (2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid is used as thorium extractant from the ash. Ashing is done at 750 °C followed by soln in nitric acid, the Di (2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid stripped with ammonium carbonate, acidified Arsenazo III added, and absorbance measured at 660 mu. Beer's law is obeyed up to 4 ug thorium.
Where is Thorium found?
Thorium is named for Thor, the Scandinavian god of war. It is found in thorite and thorianite in New England (USA) and other sites. Image adapted with permission from Prof James Marshall 's (U. North Texas, USA) Walking Tour of the elements CD.
What is the melting point of thorium?
When contaminated with the oxide, thorium slowly tarnishes in air, becoming grey and finally black. Thorium oxide has a melting point of 3300°C, the highest of all oxides. Only a few elements, such as tungsten, and a few compounds, such as tantalum carbide, have higher melting points.
How many electrons does Thorium have?
Thorium atoms have 90 electrons and the shell structure is 2.8.18.32.18.10.2. The ground state electronic configuration of neutral thorium is [ Rn ]. 6d2. 7s2 and the term symbol of thorium is 3F2. Thorium: description. Your user agent does not support the HTML5 Audio element. Thorium is a source of nuclear power.
Does thorium dissolve in water?
Thorium is slowly attacked by water, but does not dissolve readily in most common acids, except hydrochloric. Powdered thorium metal is often pyrophoric and should be carefully handled.When heated in air, thorium turnings ignite and burn brilliantly with a white light. Thorium is named for Thor, the Scandinavian god of war.
Electron Configuration
The periodic table is a tabular display of the chemical elements organized on the basis of their atomic numbers, electron configurations, and chemical properties. The electron configuration is the distribution of electrons of an atom or molecule (or other physical structure) in atomic or molecular orbitals.
Oxidation States
Oxidation states are typically represented by integers which may be positive, zero, or negative. Most elements have more than one possible oxidation state. For example, carbon has nine possible integer oxidation states from −4 to +4.
How many isotopes does Thorium have?
Isotopes of thorium. Thorium ( 90 Th) has seven naturally occurring isotopes but none are stable. One isotope, 232 Th, is relatively stable, with a half-life of 1.405×10 10 years, considerably longer than the age of the Earth, and even slightly longer than the generally accepted age of the universe. This isotope makes up nearly all natural thorium, ...
What is the radioactive isotope of thorium?
Thorium-229. 229Th is a radioactive isotope of thorium that decays by alpha emission with a half-life of 7917 years. 229 Th is produced by the decay of uranium-233, and its principal use is for the production of the medical isotopes actinium-225 and bismuth-213.
How many neutrons does 228Th have?
228Th is an isotope of thorium with 138 neutrons. It was once named Radiothorium, due to its occurrence in the disintegration chain of thorium-232. It has a half-life of 1.9116 years. It undergoes alpha decay to 224 Ra. Occasionally it decays by the unusual route of cluster decay, emitting a nucleus of 20 O and producing stable 208 Pb. It is a daughter isotope of 232 U .
What is 230Th?
230Th is a radioactive isotope of thorium that can be used to date corals and determine ocean current flux. Ionium was a name given early in the study of radioactive elements to the 230 Th isotope produced in the decay chain of 238 U before it was realized that ionium and thorium are chemically identical.
Why are thorium glasses radioactive?
Two of the glass elements in the f/2.5 Aero-Ektar lenses are 11% and 13% thorium by weight. The thorium-containing glasses were used because they have a high refractive index with a low dispersion (variation of index with wavelength), a highly desirable property. Many surviving Aero-Ektar lenses have a tea colored tint, possibly due to radiation damage to the glass.
How long does an isotope last?
The isotope decays by alpha decay with a half-life of 1.405 × 10 10 years, over three times the age of the Earth and approximately the age of the universe . Its decay chain is the thorium series, eventually ending in lead-208.
What is the only nuclide of thorium?
Thorium-232. 232Th is the only primordial nuclide of thorium and makes up effectively all of natural thorium, with other isotopes of thorium appearing only in trace amounts as relatively short-lived decay products of uranium and thorium. The isotope decays by alpha decay with a half-life of 1.405 × 10 10 years, ...
Overview
Chemistry
A thorium atom has 90 electrons, of which four are valence electrons. Four atomic orbitals are theoretically available for the valence electrons to occupy: 5f, 6d, 7s, and 7p. Despite thorium's position in the f-block of the periodic table, it has an anomalous [Rn]6d 7s electron configuration in the ground state, as the 5f and 6d subshells in the early actinides are very close in energy, even more so t…
Bulk properties
Thorium is a moderately soft, paramagnetic, bright silvery radioactive actinide metal. In the periodic table, it lies to the right of actinium, to the left of protactinium, and below cerium. Pure thorium is very ductile and, as normal for metals, can be cold-rolled, swaged, and drawn. At room temperature, thorium metal has a face-centred cubic crystal structure; it has two other forms, one at high temperature (over 1360 °C; body-centred cubic) and one at high pressure (around 100 GPa; body …
Isotopes
All but two elements up to bismuth (element 83) have an isotope that is practically stable for all purposes ("classically stable"), with the exceptions being technetium and promethium (elements 43 and 61). All elements from polonium (element 84) onward are measurably radioactive. Th is one of the two nuclides beyond bismuth (the other being U) that have half-lives measured in billions of …
Occurrence
Th is a primordial nuclide, having existed in its current form for over ten billion years; it was formed during the r-process, which probably occurs in supernovae and neutron star mergers. These violent events scattered it across the galaxy. The letter "r" stands for "rapid neutron capture", and occurs in core-collapse supernovae, where heavy seed nuclei such as Fe rapidly capture neutrons, runni…
History
In 1815, the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius analysed an unusual sample of gadolinite from a copper mine in Falun, central Sweden. He noted impregnated traces of a white mineral, which he cautiously assumed to be an earth (oxide in modern chemical nomenclature) of an unknown element. Berzelius had already discovered two elements, cerium and selenium, but he had made a public mista…
Production
The low demand makes working mines for extraction of thorium alone not profitable, and it is almost always extracted with the rare earths, which themselves may be by-products of production of other minerals. The current reliance on monazite for production is due to thorium being largely produced as a by-product; other sources such as thorite contain more thorium and could easily be used for production if demand rose. Present knowledge of the distribution of thorium resources …
Modern applications
Non-radioactivity-related uses of thorium have been in decline since the 1950s due to environmental concerns largely stemming from the radioactivity of thorium and its decay products.
Most thorium applications use its dioxide (sometimes called "thoria" in the industry), rather than the metal. This compound has a melting point of 3300 °…