What does pitchblende mean?
Pitchblende is a dark, pitch-black uranium-bearing ore, also known historically as a source from which uranium could be extracted. The name is closely associated with the discovery and early study of radioactivity: uranium compounds obtained from pitchblende were investigated by Marie Curie, Pierre Curie, and other scientists in the late nineteenth century. Although the term remains useful in historical and mineralogical contexts, modern general writing usually prefers uranium ore, unless the specific mineral or the history of uranium research is intended. Pitchblende can refer both to the mineral itself and to the uranium-rich material formerly treated as an ore, so the sense depends somewhat on context. Its unusual name and role in the development of nuclear science make it a particularly evocative historical term.
nounPitchblende is a dark, pitch-black mineral ore containing uranium, formerly important as the principal ore from which uranium was extracted. It is also known as uraninite in some mineralogical contexts.
- A dark, uranium-bearing mineral or ore, especially the material historically used as a source of uranium.
"The first uranium sample was taken from a specimen of pitchblende sent to the laboratory in Paris."
"The mine was abandoned after the authorities discovered that its primary ore was pitchblende."
"Marie Curie and Pierre Curie studied the radioactive properties of uranium compounds derived from pitchblende."
Rare in modern English; plural forms are more natural when referring to separate specimens or deposits of the mineral.
"The collection included several pitchblendes from different mining districts."
Pitchblende helped make modern nuclear science possible: the radioactive element uranium was first identified from a sample of this apparently ordinary black ore.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pitchblende come from?
The word is an English borrowing of German Pitchblende, a compound formed from pitch and Blende. Blende was an old German mining term associated with deceptive or misleading ores, while pitch refers to the ore's dark, tar-like appearance. The compound was adopted in English in the nineteenth century during the study of uranium-bearing minerals. Its history is closely connected with the early scientific investigation of uranium and radioactivity.
How pitchblende is actually used
The term is now mainly historical or specialist. In general writing, uranium ore is usually more natural, while pitchblende remains especially associated with the history of radioactivity and early uranium research.
Easily confused with pitchblende
Uraninite is the specific mineral name for the principal uranium-bearing mineral, while pitchblende is a traditional name for the ore and material historically worked as a source of uranium.