That part makes no sense. He bought a bunch of spent uranium and tried to resell it. The prosecutors said it contained thorium and “weapons grade” plutonium (also know as plutonium).
My guess is they sent a sample to a mass spectrometry lab and they got back uranium, thorium and plutonium, but likely tiny amounts of plutonium, like picograms. Typically what happens when uranium is spent and sent to storage.
Weapons amount of plutonium requires reacting uranium beyond legal limits, then purifying it which can only be done in a few military labs in the world. (none of which are in Iran).
That part makes no sense. He bought a bunch of spent uranium and tried to resell it. The prosecutors said it contained thorium and “weapons grade” plutonium (also know as plutonium).
My guess is they sent a sample to a mass spectrometry lab and they got back uranium, thorium and plutonium, but likely tiny amounts of plutonium, like picograms. Typically what happens when uranium is spent and sent to storage.
Weapons amount of plutonium requires reacting uranium beyond legal limits, then purifying it which can only be done in a few military labs in the world. (none of which are in Iran).
I was thinking it’s from oak ridge or north korea at first. Your explaintion makes more sense.
Plutonium does not exist in nature, so at some point the uranium was in a reactor.
Actually happened naturally once that we know of… here is a good transcript but be warned it’s a fun rabbit hole to go down! (:
https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/disappearing-pod/the-worlds-only-natural-nuclear-reactor/