![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Yellowcake.jpg/640px-Yellowcake.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Uranium oxide
Oxide of the element uranium / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uranium oxide is an oxide of the element uranium.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Yellowcake.jpg/320px-Yellowcake.jpg)
The metal uranium forms several oxides:
- Uranium dioxide or uranium(IV) oxide (UO2, the mineral uraninite or pitchblende)
- Diuranium pentoxide or uranium(V) oxide (U2O5)
- Uranium trioxide or uranium(VI) oxide (UO3)
- Triuranium octoxide (U3O8), the most stable uranium oxide; yellowcake typically contains 70 to 90 percent triuranium octoxide)
- Uranyl peroxide (UO2O2 or UO4)
- Amorphous uranium(VI) oxide (Am-U2O7)
Uranium dioxide is oxidized in contact with oxygen to form triuranium octoxide.
- 3 UO2 + O2 → U3O8; at 700 °C (970 K)