Uranium 235 and uranium 238 are isotope they are chemically different why?

Answer 1

I LIKE PIGS IN A BLANKET I think ,because when hit Uranium-238 by a neutron, it becomes uranium-239, an unstable isotope which returns into neptunium-239, which then itself decays, with a half-life of 2.355 days, into plutonium-239. ------------------------ Differences in nucleus stability and nuclear cross sections for fission with thermal neutrons. Some details at: http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Library/Fission.html

Answer 2

Uranium-235 and uranium-238 are isotopes because they have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. This difference in the number of neutrons makes them chemically different since the number of neutrons affects the stability and reactivity of an atom, leading to differences in their chemical behavior.

Answer 3

Shortly, the difference between naturally occurring isotopes of uranium are specially physical (Atomic Mass, neutron numbers, decay type, half life, etc). Also, U-235 is a fissile material with thermal neutrons in classic nuclear reactors and U-238 is the fissile material in a breeder reactor. They have different amounts of neutrons- U238 has 3 more than U235 and the neutrons control the chemical reactions of the atom.

Answer 4

Uranium-238 don't suport a nuclear chain reaction; reasons belong to nuclear physics. Uranium-235 - yes !