Depleted Uranium Dice (ca. 1950s) |Why, or by whom, these
depleted uranium (DU) dice were made is a complete mystery. If I
had to guess, I would say that they were produced as a type of
memento by the Atomic Energy Commission, possible as
paperweights. Nineteen fifties most likely. They are nickel
coated and 7/8" across. All you have to do is pick these things
up to know they are made of DU - not even lead is this heavy.
The photo to the right includes a plate of uncoated depleted
uranium for comparison. Depleted uranium, in this case uranium
metal, has less uranium-234 and uranium-235, and more
uranium-238 than the uranium found in nature. By weight, natural
uranium is approximately 99.3% U-238, 0.7% U-235 and 0.006%
U-234. The composition of depleted uranium varies, but it is
often on the order of 99.8% U-238 and 0.2% U-235. Copyright
1999, Oak Ridge Associated Universities