Extracting uranium from pitchblende involves several steps, including crushing and grinding the ore, chemical processing, and purification. Below is a detailed guide on how to extract uranium from pitchblende, along with the relevant equations involved in the process.1.

Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. Over 50,000 tons of uranium were produced in 2019. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia were the top three uranium producers, respectively, and together account for 68% of world production.

Uranium was discovered in 1789 by German scientist Martin Heinrich Klaproth in the mineral pitchblende. It was isolated shortly after, but its radioactive properties were not discovered until 1896 by Henri Becquerel. The discovery of uranium fission in 1938 led several countries to begin research into the possibility of developing an atomic bomb.

ontain uranium in the reduced, or quadrivalent, form. The reduced uranium is only slightly soluble in the acidic leach solutions; the oxidant provides the driving force to convert the ura.