yellowcake
Uranium oxide concentrate
Yellowcake is a powdered uranium concentrate produced during the early stages of uranium processing, named for its typically yellow color though it can range to orange or greenish.
It contains mostly uranium oxide and serves as the raw material for enriching uranium, whether for nuclear reactor fuel or weapons.
The term gained broader public awareness during debates over weapons of mass destruction, particularly claims about Iraq seeking yellowcake from Africa in the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq War.
Element ninety-two
- enrichmentImprovement through addition
- centrifugeSpinning density-separation device
- proliferationRapid increase in quantity
- fissileAble to split apart
isotope · reactor · conversion · milling · processing · concentrate · oxide · refining
Metal-bearing rock
- extractionAct of removing
- millingProcessing grain mechanically
- leachingDissolving out by liquid
- depositPlace for safekeeping
prospecting · geology · vein · open-pit · underground · tailings · slurry · crusher
Energy propagation through space
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- half-lifePeriod for fifty-percent reduction
- alphaFirst Greek letter
- betaGreek alphabet's second letter
gamma · contamination · dosimeter · ionizing · exposure · shielding · handling · storage
Capable of causing harm
- carcinogenicCauses cancer
- mutagenicCausing permanent DNA changes
- contaminatedMade impure by contact
- inhalationTaking breath in
ingestion · dust · exposure · safety · containment · disposal · regulation · worker safety
uranium
Element ninety-two
- enrichmentImprovement through addition
- centrifugeSpinning density-separation device
- proliferationRapid increase in quantity
fissile · isotope · reactor · conversion · milling · processing · concentrate · oxide · refining · nuclear fuel
ore
Metal-bearing rock
- extractionAct of removing
- millingProcessing grain mechanically
- leachingDissolving out by liquid
deposit · prospecting · geology · vein · open-pit · underground · tailings · slurry · crusher · processing plant
radiation
Energy propagation through space
beta · gamma · contamination · dosimeter · ionizing · exposure · shielding · handling · storage · transport
toxic
Capable of causing harm
- carcinogenicCauses cancer
- mutagenicCausing permanent DNA changes
- contaminatedMade impure by contact
inhalation · ingestion · dust · exposure · safety · containment · disposal · regulation · worker safety · environmental impact
- Nuclearnuclear reactor, atomic bomb, nuclear energy, atomic bombs, uranium
- nuclear energynuclear power, nuclear reactors, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, uranium
- nuclear fueluranium, uranium enrichment, enriched uranium, fuel rods, plutonium
- Nuclear Geologyuranium, radium, thorium, radioactivity, uranium deposits
- Nuclear Materialsuranium, plutonium, enriched uranium, plutonium-239, uranium-235
- radioactive materialsuranium, plutonium, radium, thorium, radon
yellowcakespent fuel
Used nuclear material
nuclear waste · enriched uranium · depleted uranium · fuel rods · weapons-grade uranium
yellowcakeyellow cake
Concentrated uranium oxide powder
lemon cake · sponge cake · butter cake · baked goods · dessert
yellowcakesolar panels
Light-converting power generators
wind turbines · coal · natural gas · petroleum · hydroelectric