Uranium can perform reactions that previously no one thought possible, which could transform the way industry makes bulk chemicals, polymers, and the precursors to new drugs and plastics, according to new findings from The University of Manchester.
Writing in the journal Nature Communications, the chemists have discovered that uranium can perform reactions that used to be the preserve of transition metals such as rhodium and palladium. And because uranium sits between different types of reactivity of lanthanides and transition metals it might be able to combine the best of both to give new ways of producing materials and chemicals.
This discovery is also profiled in a new video which is part of a series produced by the School of Chemistry. Other videos show how chemists at Manchester have developed the world’s smallest fuel powered motor and identified that Parkinson’s sufferers can have a unique smell identifying the disease – before any medical professional can see symptoms.
The YouTube series attempts to put world class scientific papers into words that anyone can understand.
The CAMERA (Chemistry at Manchester Explains Research Advances) series of films is available to watch and subscribe to here.
The latest discovery means that industry might now be in a position to develop new compounds that can’t be made in any other way.
What’s more, uranium is one of the elements we know the least about and while it is associated with nuclear weapons and nuclear power, the new discovery suggests other uses may be on the horizon.
Steve Liddle, Professor and Head of Inorganic Chemistry, and author of the paper, said: “This discovery will lead to some monumental developments that could change the way we live. Development work like this really could pave the way for new medicines and also the creation of truly biodegradable hard plastic.
“It is comparable to the discovery of liquid crystal displays, which happened 20 years before everyone sat up and realised that they could be used in modern computer displays and TVs.”
Learn more: Uranium to replace plastic? Chemistry breakthrough could pave the way for new materials
The Latest on: Uranium
[google_news title=”” keyword=”uranium” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
- GoviEx Uranium CEO says company is talking to Niger Government regarding its mining permiton April 23, 2024 at 7:35 am
CEO Daniel Major spoke to Proactive's Stephen Gunnion about discussions the company is having with the Government of the Republic of Niger regarding its ...
- EXCLUSIVE: Why This Uranium Bull Market Is Different — 'We've Really Got To Start Developing Mines,' Says Madison Metals CEOon April 23, 2024 at 7:10 am
Uranium prices have more support now than they did when the nuclear fuel hit its all-time high in 2007, according to the chief executive of uranium explorer Madison Metals Inc. (OTC:MMTLF). Back then, ...
- How Kazakhstan leveraged “uranium power” to hold reins in nuclear fuel dealings with Chinaon April 23, 2024 at 6:52 am
In particular, the policy paper—titled To Secure Kazakhstan’s Uranium, Chinese Players Were Compelled to Accommodate Local Partners—underscores Kazakhstan’s own approach to the engagement, which meant ...
- Atomic Minerals Plans Exploration with New Initiatives in Northern Saskatchewan's Uranium Epicenteron April 23, 2024 at 5:00 am
Atomic Minerals Corporation (TSXV: ATOM) ("ATOMIC MINERALS" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that in anticipation of the upcoming exploration season the Company has engaged Grander Exploration ...
- Niger plans to revoke Canadian company’s uranium mining licenseon April 23, 2024 at 4:19 am
Ecofin agency reported that the government of the Republic of Niger is going to revoke the license to mine uranium ore from the Canadian ...
- Iran is 'weeks away' from having enough uranium to make nuclear bomb, warns IAEA bosson April 23, 2024 at 4:01 am
Iran is just "weeks away" from having enough enriched uranium to devlop a nuclear bomb, the International Atomic Energy Agency boss has chillingly warned. We'll be bringing you the very latest updates ...
- Radioactive Leak Threat in Russia as Flood Heads for Uranium Mineson April 22, 2024 at 6:19 am
Andrei Ozharovsky, an expert in the Radioactive Waste Safety program of the Russian Social-Ecological Union, told the investigative site that a leak of uranium from the Dobrovolnoye mine will lead to ...
- US Military To Exit Niger, What’s The Impact To Uranium Juniors?on April 21, 2024 at 6:34 am
The US government has given up on Niger. The government formally announced this weekend that it had agreed to withdraw ...
- A small town in rural Ohio is now the only place in America producing enriched uraniumon April 18, 2024 at 6:16 am
Centrus Energy opened a plant at the old Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant last fall. Now, for the first time in years, the site is producing enriched uranium again.
- Uranium Stocks Poised for Breakout As Nuclear Resurgence Gains Momentumon April 16, 2024 at 8:00 am
The world is finally realizing, after trying to rid itself of nuclear power following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, that the power of the ...
via Google News and Bing News