pitchblende

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a mineral consisting of uranium oxide and trace amounts of radium and thorium and polonium and lead and helium; uraninite in massive form is called pitchblende which is the chief uranium ore

From German Pechblende, from Pech (“pitch”) + Blende (“blende”).

If I bring a bit of radioactive substance, for instance, pitchblende, near the electroscope, the charge will leak rapidly. — Astounding Stories, May, 1931, Various
"Bull Coxine and Gus Wallace got together after me and Wallace lost our stake hunting for uranium pitchblende in the asteroids and split up. — On the Trail of the Space Pirates, Carey Rockwell
Pitchblende, the base metal from which this was extracted, was discovered to be highly radio-active, and on making tests of the product taken from it, they were surprised to find that it emitted a form of energy that far exceeded in calculations any computations made on the basis of radio-activity in the metals hitherto examined. — Electricity for Boys, James Slough Zerbe

uraninite

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