Isotope separation

Isotope separation enriches a material in one or more isotopes of an element by exploiting small differences in their physical or chemical behavior.

Centrifuge: A device that uses rotation to separate materials according to differences in density or mass. Gas centrifuges separate isotopic molecules by driving heavier molecules toward the rotor wall.
Uranium enrichment: The increase of uranium-235 relative to uranium-238 in uranium-bearing material. It is a major industrial application of isotope separation for many nuclear reactor designs.
Isotope: One of two or more atoms of the same element with equal proton counts but different neutron counts. Separation distinguishes isotopes while preserving their shared elemental identity.
Calutron: An electromagnetic isotope separator developed during the Manhattan Project and used to enrich uranium. It exemplifies a mass-selective technique that achieved enrichment but consumed substantial resources.
Manhattan Project: The United States-led wartime program that developed the first nuclear weapons during World War II. Electromagnetic separation and gaseous diffusion supplied enriched uranium for the project.
Gaseous diffusion: A separation method in which gas passes through barriers, with lighter molecules diffusing faster than heavier ones. Its tiny mass-dependent speed difference can enrich uranium hexafluoride across many stages.
Heavy water: Water in which the hydrogen atoms are deuterium rather than ordinary protium. Its production can require separating deuterium from ordinary hydrogen isotopes.
Isotopic mass: The mass of an atom of a particular isotope, arising mainly from its protons and neutrons. Mass differences drive many separation methods, though their effects are often small.
Aerodynamic isotope separation: A method that separates isotopes through mass-dependent behavior in rapidly moving gas streams. It offers a different physical route from diffusion through porous barriers or centrifugation.
Nuclear proliferation: The spread of nuclear weapons, weapons-usable materials, or the capacity to produce them. Enrichment technology can support civilian fuel cycles while also creating proliferation concerns.

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