What is enriched uranium and why is it so hard to make?

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Enriched uranium is uranium processed to increase the concentration of the fissile isotope uranium-235 (U-235) beyond its natural abundance of 0.7%. Fissile refers to a material—specifically a nuclide—that can undergo nuclear fission when it absorbs a low-energy (thermal) neutron. This property is crucial because only fissile materials can sustain a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction with…

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