Yellow cake refining

Since the uranium from the milling process is still in an unusable form, the yellow cake is broken down once again. The uranium trioxide is reduced to uranium dioxide at veiy high temperatures. Refining of the product also takes place. Now the uranium product consists almost entirely of UO,. 

The principal member of the first class is tributyl phosphate (TBP). It is convenient to use this organic reagent in the refining of yellow cake consequent to nitric acid dissolution. After dilution, the solution is subjected to filtration through vacuum filters prior to intro-... 

The boom in domestic mining spurred a correspondingly rapid growth in uranium milling. In the mills the ore was crushed and ground, and uranium concentrate was chemically extracted in a partially refined form called yellow cake. Although the United States had only a small milling... 

GUNPOWDER, or black powder, is a mixture of saltpetre, sulphur and carbon. Early Chinese recipes used equal weights to make a fast burning, but not explosive, powder. A composition that matches well the chemistry ctf the reaction is 15 parts saltpetre, 2 parts sulphur and 3 parts charcoal. Mix the ingedients while damp, using pressure to make a dense cake which can be broken into grains when dry. For most explosive results use refined saltpetre. Metal salts can add colour to the explosion, e.g. sodium salts for yellow or orange, potassium salts for purple, and strontium salts for red. This is the basis of fireworks. 

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