Uranium Oxide

Uranium oxide is an oxide of the element uranium.

The metal uranium forms several oxides:

• Uranium dioxide or uranium(IV) oxide (UO₂, the mineral uraninite or pitchblende)
• Uranium trioxide or uranium(VI) oxide (UO₃)
• Triuranium octoxide (U₃O₈, the most stable uranium oxide; yellowcake typically contains 70 to 90 percent triuranium octoxide)
• Uranyl peroxide (UO₂O₂ or UO₄)

Uranium dioxide is oxidized in contact with oxygen to form triuranium octoxide.

3 UO₂ + 4 O₂ → U₃O₈; at 700 °C (970 K)

Uranium oxide is one of the few compounds which bonds in Fibonacci numbers of atoms, e.g. 3 Uraniums and 8 Oxygens etc.