Question

What is the name of the element having 92 as its atomic number on the periodic table?

Answer 1

Hint: The element occurring in the 92 positions is the last element of the periodic table found in nature in abundance. The atomic number represents the total number of protons found in the nucleus of an element.

Complete Step by Step Solution:
The element with the atomic number of 92 on the periodic table is Uranium (U). It is a silvery-grey-colored radioactive chemical element belonging to the actinide series. Uranium is an essential nuclear fuel. It consists of 92 protons and 92 electrons, with 6 valence electrons. It is a dense metal that is weakly radioactive as compared to its other radioactive counterparts.

Uranium(U) is the heaviest naturally occurring element. It is radioactive i.e. it decays by emitting alpha particles. Uranium has a long half-life period. The half-life of uranium-238 is about 4.47 billion years and of uranium-235 is about 704 million years. Hence, it is used in calculating the age of the earliest igneous rocks and also helps determine Earth's age.

Uranium was discovered to be fissile for the first time (i.e. according to nuclear engineering, fissile material is a material that is capable of sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction). When bombarded with neutrons, 235U isotope divides into various smaller nuclei releasing immense nuclear energy and neutrons in a continuous process called nuclear fission.

Note: The fissile property of Uranium makes it a boon as well as a bane for mankind. The large amount of energy released in nuclear fission is used in the making of destructive bombs. The same element and its isotope can be used to produce energy for household and industrial use.