WELCOME TO OUR PRESENTATION

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 URANINITE (PITCHBLENDE)

Presented by Group IX
• Nian Suan Ciin 3C - 38
• Lin Lat Sandi Ko 3C - 1
• Nann Phoo Pwint Pyae Sone 3C - 3
• Phuu Myat Thwe Khaing 3C - 5
• Phyu Thi Hnin 3C - 6

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 HISTORY OF URANINITE

• Uraninite has played an important role in the investigation

of radioactivity. Chemists and physicists of the 1700s and
1800s were busy investigating "pitchblende," the name
used at that time for uraninite. In 1789, a German chemist
was studying pitchblende when he discovered uranium. He
later determined that uranium was a distinct element,
although he was unable to isolate uranium into its pure
metallic state.

• Radium was first extracted from uraninite ore from the

same locality by Pierre and Marie Curie in 1898. Their
work led to the discovery and first isolation of radium and
polonium.

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 OCCURRENCES

• Uraninite can be found in the ore mountains

and almost all rocks especially in Germany,
Mexico, Canada, England .

• In our country , Myanmar, it can be found in

Mandalay Region, Pyin-Oo-Lwin District,
Mogok Township, Chaung-gyi, Sakangyi
(Sakhan-gyi)

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 USES
• Uraninite is the primary ore for uranium. In
most of the countries, uranium is mainly
extracted from uraninite.

• The main reason that uraninite is mined to

extract uranium which is used to provide fuel
for nuclear power plants.

• It is also be mined for other elements such as

radium, thorium, and lead, which are decay
products of radioactive uranium.

• Uraninite is highly radioactive , so it is not a

suitable mineral for classroom use. It should
be handled and stored with care.

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WORLDWIDE URANIUM PRODUCTION CHART

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 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

• Color - Uraninite usually form black, gray, or brown.

• Streak - The streak of uraninite is brownish back, gray, olive-

green .

• Luster - Luster is a physical property that describes how a

mineral's surface and structure interact with light. I.e., Luster
describes how a mineral reflects and refracts light. Two main
categories of luster are metallic and sub-metallic or non
metallic luster. The above Uraninite Pitchblende mineral is a
sub-metallic luster which is imperfectly metallic. It has a
luster like that of metal but is less reflective and dull in
appearance. This mineral often appear this way because of
excessive corrosion and weathering. Diaphaneity - Opaque,
transparent in thin fragments .The important fact is luster is
useful in identifying minerals found in rocks and strata.
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• Hardness - Hardness plays a major role in identifying a
mineral. We can measure hardness of a mineral by Mohs Scale
which is the resistance of a mineral to scratching and a qualitative
ordinal scale from 1 to 10, characterizing such resistance of
various minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch
softer mineral Mohs scale of the Uraninite, Pitchblende is 5-6.

• Fracture - Fracture is the property of a mineral breaking in a more

or less random pattern with no smooth planar surface.
Fracture of uraninite – conchoidal to uneven
Conchoidal Fracture
Five types of mineral fractures
1. Conchoidal – fracture with smooth, curved surfaces that resemble the interior of a seashell. It is
commonly observed in quartz and glass.
2. Earthy – reminiscent of freshly broken soil
3. Hackly – jagged, sharp, and not even
4. Splintery – elongated fragments like splinters of wood
5. Uneven – a rough surface or one with random irregularities.
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• Cleavage - Cleavage is the tendency of crystalline materials to split along definite crystallographic structural
planes. These planes of relative weakness are a result of the regular locations of atoms and irons in the crystal,
which create smooth repeating surfaces. It bonds in certain directions are weaker than others, the crystal will
tend to split along the weekly bonded planes. These flat breaks are termed ‘cleavage’ .

Uraninite has a indistinct cleavage.

Diagnostic properties – Lack of cleavage

Types of cleavage
1. Basal, pinacoidal or planar cleavage occurs when there is only one cleavage plane.
2. Cubic cleavage occurs when there are three cleavage planes intersecting at 90 degree.
3. Octahedral cleavage occurs when there are four cleavage planes in a crystal.
4. Rhombohedral cleavage occurs when there are three cleavage planes intersecting at angles that are not 90
degree.
5. Prismatic cleavage occurs when there are two cleavage planes.
6. Dodecahedral cleavage occurs when there are six cleavage planes in a crystal.

Indistinct cleavage produces surfaces which are neither smooth nor regular, such cleavage tend to fracture 9
rather than split.
• Form
There are many forms of minerals that are not necessarily dependent on crystal character.

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 The shape of uraninite is typically botryoidal (looks like bunch of grapes) or amorphous. a
Amorphous means "having no definite form: shapeless". In certain environments, the uraninite can be
found as granular form on other materials. Uraninite has cubic crystal system, also known as isometric.
In this crystal system, the unit cell is in the shape of a cube. This is one of the most common and
simplest shapes found in crystals and minerals.

Botryoidal uraninite Cubic uraninite

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• Specific Gravity of Uraninite
Specific gravity is one of the most important, constant, and quantifiable properties of a gem or mineral. So,
in your effort to identify an unknown stone, the specific gravity, if known, can narrow down your search just a
handful of possibilities.
Uraninites have a very high specific gravity. Normally, it has specific gravity of 10.36 or 10.95 . Unaltered
specimens can have a specific gravity as high as 11.Specimens that have advanced stages of weathering radioactive
decay can have a specific gravity as low as 6.5.

How do we measure specific gravity of mineral?

1. Weigh the mineral in air (literally put in on the scales like normal)
2. Suspend mineral in water for the second weighing.
3. Calculate the ratio of the weight of mineral and the second weight of mineral that is suspended in water.
According to Archimedes principle ,
the weight of the mineral in the air – the weight of its weight in water = the water displaced by the mineral

If the uraninite has specific gravity of 10, it means that the mineral weights ten times more than the same amount of
water.

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THANK YOU
FOR

YOUR TIME
AND

ATTENTION 14