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they need to develop these reactors!


Thorium
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Not to be confused with Thallium or Thulium.actinium ← thorium → protactinium
Ce
↑
Th
↓
(Uqn)









90Th
Periodic table


Appearance
silvery, often with black tarnish

General properties
Name, symbol, number thorium, Th, 90
Pronunciation /ˈθɔəriəm/
THOHR-ee-əm
Element category actinide
Group, period, block n/a, 7, f
Standard atomic weight 232.0381
Electron configuration [Rn] 6d2 7s2
Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 10, 2 (Image)
Physical properties
Phase solid
Density (near r.t.) 11.7 g·cm−3
Melting point 2115 K, 1842 °C, 3348 °F
Boiling point 5061 K, 4788 °C, 8650 °F
Heat of fusion 13.81 kJ·mol−1
Heat of vaporization 514 kJ·mol−1
Molar heat capacity 26.230 J·mol−1·K−1
Vapor pressure
P (Pa) 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k
at T (K) 2633 2907 3248 3683 4259 5055

Atomic properties
Oxidation states 4, 3, 2 (weakly basic oxide)
Electronegativity 1.3 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies 1st: 587 kJ·mol−1
2nd: 1110 kJ·mol−1
3rd: 1930 kJ·mol−1
Atomic radius 179 pm
Covalent radius 206±6 pm
Miscellanea
Crystal structure face-centered cubic
Magnetic ordering paramagnetic[1]
Electrical resistivity (0 °C) 147 nΩ·m
Thermal conductivity 54.0 W·m−1·K−1
Thermal expansion (25 °C) 11.0 µm·m−1·K−1
Speed of sound (thin rod) (20 °C) 2490 m·s−1
Young's modulus 79 GPa
Shear modulus 31 GPa
Bulk modulus 54 GPa
Poisson ratio 0.27
Mohs hardness 3.0
Vickers hardness 350 MPa
Brinell hardness 400 MPa
CAS registry number 7440-29-1
Most stable isotopes
Main article: Isotopes of thorium
iso NA half-life DM DE (MeV) DP
228Th trace 1.9116 years α 5.520 224Ra
229Th syn 7340 years α 5.168 225Ra
230Th trace 75380 years α 4.770 226Ra
231Th trace 25.5 hours β 0.39 231Pa
232Th 100% 1.405×1010 years α 4.083 228Ra
234Th trace 24.1 days β 0.27 234Pa

v · t · e · r


Thorium ( /ˈθɔəriəm/ THOHR-ee-əm) is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder.

In nature, virtually all thorium is found as thorium-232, and it decays by emitting an alpha particle, and has a half-life of about 14.05 billion years (other, trace-level isotopes of thorium are short-lived intermediates of decay chains). It is estimated to be about four times more abundant than uranium in the Earth's crust and is a by-product of the extraction of rare earths from monazite sands. Thorium was formerly used commonly as (for example) the light source in gas mantles and as an alloying material, but these applications have declined due to concerns about its radioactivity.

Canada, Germany, India, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States have used thorium in various experimental and power reactors as fuel.[2] There is a growing interest in developing thorium fuel cycle for various reasons, including its safety benefits, its high absolute abundance and relative abundance compared to uranium.[2] India's three stage nuclear power programme is possibly the most well known and well funded of such efforts. [3] [4]

they need to shut them all down
and stop building anymore