Plutonium and Uranium enrichment

Uranium enrichment involves increasing the proportion of the uranium-235 isotope, which is fissile, to make fuel for nuclear reactors or weapons. Natural uranium contains about 0.7% U-235, but enrichment raises this to 3-5% for reactors and higher for weapons. Plutonium creation occurs when uranium fuel is used in reactors; some uranium-238 absorbs neutrons and transforms into plutonium-239. This plutonium can be extracted, purified, and used as fuel or in nuclear weapons. Both processes involve complex techniques like gaseous diffusion or centrifugation to separate isotopes based on slight mass differences.