| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Georgia detains two for trying to sell radioactive uranium |
| 2019-03-14 |
| [Ynet] Georgia said on Wednesday it had detained two people for handling and trying to sell $2.8 million worth of radioactive uranium-238, which can be developed into nuclear bomb material. Western leaders have been concerned about the security of Soviet nuclear weapon materials since the 1991 break-up of the Communist colossus. Ex-Soviet Georgia has since foiled several attempts to sell uranium or other radioactive materials. Uranium-238 is the least radioactive uranium isotope and makes up more than 99 percent of natural uranium. It cannot be used to produce the chain reaction needed for nuclear weapons, which uranium-235 is suitable for. In disclosing the arrests in the Georgian Black Sea town of Kobuleti, the state security service did not say whether the two, whom it said were part of a criminal gang, had a buyer for the uranium-238 or where they had acquired it. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_generator This would make the neutrons. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2019-03-14 23:01 |
| #5 Alaska Paul not so tricky if you don't care if those processing survive... |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2019-03-14 22:58 |
| #4 NOT with magick Djinn Technology! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2019-03-14 20:49 |
| #3 Extracting U235 from U238 is done now with centrifuges. You still will need a lot of U238 for feed stock. U238 to Pu239 will need a reactor, PLUS a really nasty multi-step chemical extraction of Pu239. It is a radioactive and toxic process. Done by remote control. More involved than a m3th lab. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2019-03-14 19:03 |
| #2 From this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_uranium it seems not really, but maybe U236. They'd use the 238 to make Plutonium 239, via U238 + neutron => Neptunium239 => Plutonium239. So I can see why they're pretty hot on this. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2019-03-14 11:14 |
| #1 Is there uranium that isn't radioactive? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2019-03-14 07:44 |