INTRODUCTION
Thorium is a radioactive metallic element, and a member of the actinide series of the periodic table. It was named after Thor, the god of thunder in Scandinavian mythology. Its most common naturally occurring radioactive isotope is thorium-232
Thorium is slowly attacked by water, soluble in hydrochloric and sulfuric acids, and slightly soluble in nitric acid. It ranks about 39th in abundance among the elements present in Earth’s crust. It has a half life of 14 Billion years.
BASIC INFORMATIONS
- Atomic Number
- 90
- Atomic Mass
- 232.0377
- Atomic radius
- 1.08
- Ionization energy
- N/A
- Electronic config
- 2,8,18,32,18,10,2
- Principal Valency
- +2
- Density g/cm³
- 11.8
- Melting point °C
- 1842
- Boiling point °C
- 4788
- Type of Element
- Metal
- Electronegativity
- N/A
- Element Category
- Actinide series
- Appearance
- Silvery white solid
- Block
- f-block
- Period
- 9
- Group
- 5
- No of Isotopes
- 30
- Occurrence
- Radioactive
- Abundance in ppm
- 8.1
- Year of Discovery
- 1828
EXTRACTION
It is obtain by reduction of its oxide or chloride
OXIDATION STATES
+4,+3,+2,+1 (Weakly basic)
MAJOR SOURCE
Thorite, Thorianite, Monazite
EXAMPLES OF COMPOUND PRESENT
Thorium oxide, Thorium silicate
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
* Thorium is applicable as atomic-fuel source, because bombardment of thorium-232 by slow neutrons yields the fissile isotope uranium-233.
* Thorium metal is used in magnesium alloys and as a stabilizing component of electronic tubes.
* Thorium oxide is highly used in light filaments and electrodes and also as a catalyst.
* Thorium is utilized in a new type of reactor, a slow-neutron reactor, which has some advantages over the fast reactor for the large-scale production of atomic energy.
