what is the difference between uranium and enriched uranium?

Question

i hear them talking about it on the radio and would like to know so i can converse in this subject

Answer 1

uranium is mined. One ore is called yellow cake. Most uranium is U-238, U-235 is fissionable

enriched uranium has more fissionable material. Fissionable material is that, where the atoms will split releasing a great deal of energy that we use to heat water to make steam to run steam generators to make electricity. Nuclear reactors are able to release this energy slowly. Bombs release it all at once.

Answer 2

Uranium in nature is 99.28% U-238. The U-235 content is only 0.715%. Yet U-235 is the fissile isotope needed for power reactors and bombs. So people process uranium ore to a gas, uranium hexafluoride, UF6, which they then centrifuge. The small difference in molecular masses allows centrifugation to separate them.