If i were to get uranium 238 (pure or ore) and put on a borated pariffin would it still dacay into Ur 239?

Question

also if you have time can you tell me what a " half life" is?

Answer 1

Half life is the time it takes for 50% of the radioactive parent isotope to deacy to the stable daughter isotope.

U 238 never decays to U 239 in the normal decay process and is only produced when U 238 is exposed to neutron radiation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium-239

U 238 decays (eventually) to Pb 206

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium-238...