thorium

/'θɔ:riəm/

Thân thiện

A scientist carefully handles a sample of thorium in a secure laboratory.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A chemical element: Thorium is a soft, silvery-white, tetravalent, radioactive metallic element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90.
   • A power source: The isotope thorium-232 is used as a fuel in nuclear reactors.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Thorium is more abundant in the Earth's crust than uranium.
  • Some advanced reactor designs aim to use thorium as a primary fuel.

Advanced Usage

• "Thorium fuel cycle": A conceptual process for generating nuclear energy using thorium as the fertile material.

  • Research into the thorium fuel cycle focuses on its potential safety benefits.

• "Thorium reactor": A type of nuclear reactor that uses thorium in its fuel cycle.

  • The development of a commercial thorium reactor is a long-term goal for some countries.

Variants and Related Words

• Thorite (n): A rare mineral (thorium silicate) that is a principal source of thorium.

  • The sample contained significant amounts of the mineral thorite.

• Monazite (n): A phosphate mineral that is a common source of rare-earth elements and thorium.

  • Thorium is often extracted from monazite sands.

Synonyms

• Element 90: Refers to thorium by its atomic number.
• Th: The chemical symbol for thorium.

Related Phrases

• "Thorium-based nuclear power": Electrical power generation using thorium as a nuclear fuel.
  • Advocates highlight the potential of thorium-based nuclear power.

Related Terminology

• Fertile material: In nuclear science, a material that is not itself fissile but can be converted into a fissile material; thorium-232 is a fertile material.
  • Thorium-232 is a fertile material that absorbs neutrons to become fissile uranium-233.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a soft silvery-white tetravalent radioactive metallic element; isotope 232 is used as a power source in nuclear reactors; occurs in thorite and in monazite sands

Từ đồng nghĩa

• Th
• atomic number 90