TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

URANIUM FAMILY [1 record]

Record 1 1996-06-06

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atomic Physics
  • Chemistry
DEF

The series of elements produced as successive intermediate products when the element uranium undergoes spontaneous natural radioactive disintegration into lead. Radium and radon are members of this series.

CONT

All elements found in natural sources with atomic number greater than 83 (bismuth) are radioactive. They belong to chains of successive decays, and all the species in one such chain constitute a radioactive family or series. ... One series has Uranium-238 ... as the parent substance and after 14 transformations, eight of them by alpha-particle emission ... and by beta-particle emission ..., reaches the stable end product Lead-206. This series is generally referred to as the uranium series.

OBS

Although the source ELSCI makes a slight distinction between "uranium series" and "uranium-radium series", defining the first as "The series of nuclides resulting from the decay of uranium-238" and defining the second as the "Radioactive decay series starting with U-238 and ending with the inactive lead isotope with mass number 206", it is the same in meaning. In addition, the source HACHE gives the two terms as true synonyms.

OBS

See also "decay series" and "decay chain" in Termium.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique atomique
  • Chimie
DEF

Ensemble de corps simples de filiation commençant à l'uranium et se terminant au plomb ou radium.

CONT

«famille (ou série) radioactive» : Nom donné aux 4 séries de nucléides radioactifs dont chacun se déduit du précédent par désintégration nucléaire spontanée et dont les pères nucléaires sont respectivement le thorium 232, le neptunium 237, l'uranium 238 et l'uranium 235. Chaque série aboutit à un produit terminal stable. Ces 4 familles radioactives sont appelées familles du thorium, du neptunium, de l'uranium et de l'actinium et les nombres de masse des éléments qui composent chacune d'elles sont respectivement de la forme 4 n, 4 n + 1, 4 n + 2 et 4 n + 3. Les familles du thorium, de l'uranium et de l'actinium dont le premier terme existe dans la nature sont appelées familles naturelles.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Física atómica
  • Química
DEF

Familia o serie radiactiva natural, constituida por los descendientes del uranio 238, y cuyo producto estable final es el plomo 206.

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