Uranium dioxide or uranium(IV) oxide (), also known as urania or uranous oxide, is an oxide of uranium, and is a black, radioactive, crystalline powder that naturally occurs in the mineral uraninite. It is used in nuclear fuel rods in nuclear reactors. A mixture of uranium and plutonium dioxides is used as MOX fuel. Prior to 1960, it was used as yellow and black color in ceramic glazes and glass. Production Uranium dioxide is produced by reducing uranium trioxide with hydrogen. UO3 + H2 → UO2 + H2O at 700 °C (973 K) This reaction plays an important part in the creation of nuclear fuel through nuclear reprocessing and uranium enrichment. Chemistry Structure The solid is isostructural with (has the same structure as) fluorite (calcium fluoride), where each U is surrounded by eight O nearest neighbors in a cubic arrangement. In addition, the dioxides of cerium, thorium, and the transuranic elements from neptunium through californium have the same structures. No other elemental dioxides have the fluorite structure. Upon melting, the measured average U-O coordination reduces from 8 in the crystalline solid (UO8 cubes), down to 6.7±0.5 (at 3270 K) in the melt. Models consistent with these measurements show the melt to consist mainly of UO6 and UO7 polyhedral units, where roughly of the connections between polyhedra are corner sharing and are edge sharing. Oxidation Uranium dioxide is oxidized in contact with oxygen to the triuranium octaoxide. 3 UO2 + O2 → U3O8 at 700 °C (970 K) The electrochemistry of uranium dioxide has been investigated in detail as the galvanic corrosion of uranium dioxide controls the rate at which used nuclear fuel dissolves. See spent nuclear fuel for further details. Water increases the oxidation rate of plutonium and uranium metals. Carbonization Uranium dioxide is carbonized in contact with carbon, forming uranium carbide and carbon monoxide. UO2 \ + \ 4C -> UC2 \ + \ 2CO. This process must be done under an inert gas as uranium carbide is easily oxidized back into uranium oxide. Uses Nuclear fuel UO2 is used mainly as nuclear fuel, specifically as UO2 or as a mixture of UO2 and PuO2 (plutonium dioxide) called a mixed oxide (MOX fuel), in the form of fuel rods in nuclear reactors. Note that the thermal conductivity of uranium dioxide is very low when compared with uranium, uranium nitride, uranium carbide and zirconium cladding material. This low thermal conductivity