Awan and Khan reported in mid-2015 that uranium metal and its compounds have been of great interest to physicists and geochemists due to its use for both civil and military applications, e.g. production of electricity, use in the medical field and for making nuclear weapons. The authors described the occurrence, geochemistry and metallurgy of the element ‘uranium’, its conversion to stable compounds such as yellow cake, uranium tetrafluoride and uranium hexafluoride and the enrichment technologies and uses for both civil and military purposes. This paper is meant for ready reference for students and teachers in connection with the recent spate of interest shown in nuclear power generation in Pakistan and abroad.
The authors concluded that during the last few years many countries have, to a certain extent, switched to nuclear power. France, Belgium, Sweden, USA, UK, Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Switzerland, etc. now derive a substantial percentage of their power requirements from nuclear power plants.
Pakistan is, at the moment, deriving only about 4.3% of its requirements from nuclear power, but some nuclear power plants have been planned, which will substantially increase this percentage. In the light of this development, in which a central role is played by uranium, this article has reviewed the element uranium, its occurrence, metallurgical and chemical properties, enrichment for reactor grade (or weapon grade) material, uses for power generation and other civil and military purposes and subsequent health hazards [What health hazards specifically?]. Except for its unfortunate use by the USA to drop nuclear bombs on Japan in 1945 [to bring an end to WW II because of a recalcitrant Japan in the Pacific], the element uranium and its associated technology has made invaluable contributions to maintaining world peace, albeit through the mutually assured destruction (MAD). There have been local wars and skirmishes, but luckily [? say fortunately] no world wars.
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