What Keeps Nuclear Weapons from Proliferating: The hardest step in making a nuclear bomb

Bill explains that the hardest step is making the proper type of uranium. Weapons and power plants require uranium that contains a greater amount of the isotope uranium-235 than found in natural uranium, which is mostly uranium-238. He outlines the key difficulty in separating the two isotope: They have nearly identical properties. He explains the two key methods for separation: Gas diffusion and centrifuges.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[VirusesX01]

Just discovered your channel (because you commented in a brazilian video about the other line being faster) and I am amazed about the quality of every video. I don't know if you still do videos, but they are incredible. Thank you, from a new fan from Brazil.

[engineerguyvideo]

Yes we still make videos! We are working on three series right now. You can keep track of the status at the engineerguy wiki mentioned at our web site.

[vkfkts]

I have just sent Turkish translation.

[engineerguyvideo]

They are up! Thanks for doing this.

[kbeckend]

Very much enjoyed the explanations and video. I'm curious as to why you did not mention electromagnetic separation which was the primary process that "produced" the 235 for Little Boy.

[engineerguyvideo]

As I understand it the bombs from WWII used uranium made from gaseous diffusion.

[engineerguyvideo]

I do

[porque718]

anyone else read his responses in his voice >_<

[Rick Mayo]

Fat Man was a plutonium core implosion device. Little boy was used on the primary target as the gun type device while vastly less efficient was much more of a sure thing nuclear yield wise.

[Billy Tsik]

So that's what the nuclear centrifuges do ! The infamous virus/worm stuxnet was made to mess with the speed of the centrifuges rotors of the Iranian nuclear program.

[K Mi]

I just stumbled upon your channel. As a chemist, I never had much engineering in school and from watching a few of your videos, I have a lot more respect for the people who built the instruments I use every day. Separating two isotopes sounded fairly easy until I learned what sort of engineering is required to do so. I'm learning so much I just want to say thank you.

[DonPMitchell]

The hollow shell of U235 was actually fired at a post of uranium.

[PinkCammy]

this is how to sell a book!

[Stratbass]

That's real engineering... sadly it's made for not actual positive stuff. Nice explanation and videos, though. We were starting to miss this!

[christian newcomer]

I'm sure there must be a good reason they don't use just one centrifuge and run the gas through it over and over... but I'm not sure why. :P Do they get increasingly faster or slower? If not couldn't that still be done with one centrifuge? Maybe that would just take forever.

Great video though - maybe I'm just slow :P