Uranium, an element of chemistry, is one of the world's rare earth metals. It serves several purposes, such as forging electricity and strengthening armor. However, why are these things so important and why not use another eco-friendly resource? First, know that uranium has an atomic number of ninety-two in the periodic table. It is part of the actinide series and has period number seven. It was discovered in 1789 by Martin Klaproth, a German chemist, who named it after the planet Uranus. It is a silvery white metal. Uranium is radioactive but it radiates or decays very slowly. However, it does not have a stable isotope; its most stable isotope is U-238. Its half-life is 4,468,000,000 years. This is good for its efficiency. Uranium, unlike coal, is very efficient at producing electricity due to its half-life. Its radioactivity can be harnessed to power several things at once. In fact, a small power plant can power the entire west side of St. Louis. It's not very common, but it's not very rare. In the earth's crust there are approximately two point seven milligrams per kilogram. The use of uranium carries certain risks. Uranium has its advantages and disadvantages. Although uranium is effective, it is also very dangerous if not handled with care or disposed of properly. In a reactor, a malfunction can occur. If not treated quickly and carefully, the reactor can overheat and cause a core meltdown. If the nuclear reactor is inside a city, it can shut down the city for years. An example is the city of Chernobyl in northern Ukraine. The power plant experienced a core meltdown in 1986 and still emits radioactivity today. It is possible that mill tailings contain paper... The end product of the mining and processing stages, or ISL, is uranium oxide. This is the form in which uranium is sold. The uranium must undergo a series of methods to convert it into usable fuel. For most reactors, the next step in fuel processing is to transform the uranium oxide into a gas, uranium hexafluoride, which allows it to be enriched. Enrichment increases the proportion of the uranium 235 isotope relative to its natural level. This allows for greater technical efficiency in reactor design and operation, particularly in larger reactors, and allows plain water to be used as a moderator. Uranium is very useful in society today. Most of the reasons we don't use other environmentally friendly resources are because none are as efficient as uranium. It also has its usefulness once exhausted, as reinforcing armor. This makes it very useful in today's life.