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Media center : Glossary

  • actinides

    chemical elements whose nuclei contain more than 88 protons, starting with the element actinium. There are 14 actinides, but only four of them (including uranium) are naturally occurring, the others being radionuclides created artificially in the core of a reactor. The most abundant actinide in used fuel is plutonium 239, produced in the reactor from uranium 238.

  • alkaline

    used to describe a metal which, when combined with water, forms an alkaline hydroxide ("base"). Sodium (Na) is an alkaline metal; it reacts violently with water to form sodium hydroxide (NaOH).

  • Alpha, Beta, Gamma

    these are the three types of radiation emitted by atoms as they disintegrate. The first type is easily stopped by a little air; a simple sheet of foil can stop the second; but the energy of the third type is stronger than X-rays and can penetrate metal.

  • anaerobic digestion

    the decomposition of organic compounds in an oxygen-deprived environment through the action of bacteria. The bacteria produce biogas consisting mainly of methane (CH4), which can be used as fuel.

  • antimatter

    atoms that are strictly identical to the matter that we know, but which have opposite electrical charges.

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True/False

In Europe, acceptance of nuclear power goes hand-in-hand with an operational nuclear power program.