{ "vercy": "1.0-draft", "publication": { "status": "research-draft", "adjudicationStatus": "unreviewed", "publishableCanonical": false, "generatedAt": "2026-09-13T03:52:48Z", "providers": [ "Claude" ], "breadth": "written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify", "pass": 2, "wave": 3, "engine": "claude", "enrichment": { "pass": 3, "engine": "claude", "producedAt": "2026-10-06T10:00:00Z", "ingestedAt": "2026-10-06T07:09:34+00:00", "fields": [ "agent_conduct", "ethics", "owners" ] }, "gate": { "passed": true, "version": "1.0", "at": "2026-10-06T19:51:53+00:00", "evidence": [ "completeness 1.00", "sense: Wikidata description", "2 live sources", "review by codex: pass" ] } }, "metaModel": { "id": "THING-Q1115", "registryId": "vr.tr.thorium", "name": "thorium", "version": "0.2.0-wave.3", "entryKind": "thing", "family": "Thing Registry", "domain": [ "PHY.MAT" ], "status": "research-draft" }, "canonicalUrl": "https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1115/", "model": { "registry_id": "vr.tr.thorium", "name": "thorium", "purpose": "Let an agent describe thorium and its properties, relay isotopes, uses and the thorium fuel cycle from chemistry and nuclear references at a public level, relay safety and regulation, and distinguish thorium from uranium without operational detail.", "definition": "A weakly radioactive chemical element with symbol Th and atomic number 90, a silvery actinide metal, with the primordial isotope thorium-232 having a half-life of 14 billion years and other isotopes such as thorium-230 used in dating corals and sediments, thorium-229 with a nuclear isomer thorium-229m studied for nuclear clocks, thorium-231 and the historical radioactinium thorium-227; thorium occurs in monazite sands, was used in gas mantles and alloys, and is studied as a nuclear fuel in thorium fuel cycles.", "what_it_is_for": "Dating, alloys, historical mantles and prospective nuclear fuel.", "affordances": [ "describe properties and isotopes", "relay uses and fuel cycle context", "relay safety and regulation", "distinguish from uranium" ], "distinguishing_features": [ "Primordial radioactivity", "Fertile nuclear material", "Monazite source", "Nuclear clock isomer" ], "appearance": "A silvery metal that tarnishes to grey or black.", "visual_identification": [ "Actinide element 90", "Thorium-232 primordial; Th-230, Th-229 and Th-229m, Th-231, Th-227 radioactinium, Th-238", "Uranium is element 92; thorium dioxide is thoria; monazite is the ore mineral" ], "physical_properties": [ { "quantity": "atomic number", "typical_range": "90", "unit": "count", "note": "" }, { "quantity": "thorium-232 half-life", "typical_range": "14.05 billion", "unit": "years", "note": "" }, { "quantity": "melting point", "typical_range": "1750", "unit": "C", "note": "" }, { "quantity": "crustal abundance", "typical_range": "about 3-4 times uranium", "unit": "ratio", "note": "" } ], "families_and_kinds": [ "thorium-232 and the thorium decay series", "thorium-230 in uranium-thorium dating", "thorium-229 and the thorium-229m nuclear isomer", "thorium-231 and thorium-227 in the uranium-235 series", "thorium compounds such as thoria", "thorium fuel cycle concepts" ], "related_models": [ { "relation": "is a kind of", "target": "actinide", "why": "in registry terms" }, { "relation": "occurs in", "target": "monazite", "why": "sands" }, { "relation": "is fertile for", "target": "uranium-233", "why": "in thorium fuel cycles" }, { "relation": "is used in", "target": "uranium-thorium dating", "why": "through thorium-230" } ], "identifiers": [ { "scheme": "symbol", "value_or_pattern": "Th", "note": "" }, { "scheme": "CAS", "value_or_pattern": "7440-29-1", "note": "" } ], "standards_and_regulation": [ "Radiation protection laws and IAEA safety standards", "Nuclear material regulation and safeguards", "Rules on naturally occurring radioactive materials in mining" ], "failure_modes_and_hazards": [ "Radiation and radon exposure from thorium ores", "Agents providing operational nuclear detail", "Overstating thorium reactor readiness, with positions attributed" ], "in_scope": [], "out_of_scope": [], "characteristics": [], "agent_conduct": { "may": [ "Describe thorium's properties, isotopes and uses in dating and research.", "Report thorium reactor research and positions on its readiness, attributing each view.", "Pass on radiation safety guidance for thorium ores from authorities." ], "must_not": [ "Give operational nuclear detail beyond general public knowledge.", "Help acquire, process or concentrate thorium or related radioactive materials outside licensed channels.", "Overstate the readiness of thorium reactors as fact.", "Downplay radon and radiation risks from thorium-bearing materials." ], "requires_human": [ "Any handling or disposal of thorium-bearing materials." ] }, "ethics": { "considerations": [ "Radioactive materials can harm workers and communities near mines and waste.", "Energy debates need honest assessment of promise and risk." ], "affected_parties": [ "Miners and workers", "Communities near mines", "Future generations" ] }, "owners": { "steward": "The licensed holder, under the national nuclear regulator.", "master_systems": [ "National nuclear material accounting registers" ] } }, "sources": [ { "id": "wikidata", "title": "Wikidata item Q1115: thorium", "url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1115", "url_status": "live", "what_it_supports": "identity and sense of the item", "checked_by": "wikidata-api" }, { "id": "wikipedia-en", "title": "Wikipedia: Thorium", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium", "url_status": "live", "what_it_supports": "general description of the item", "checked_by": "wikidata-api sitelink" } ], "structure": { "bundles": [ { "id": "understand", "name": "Understand", "description": "What thorium is.", "rationale": "Science.", "layers": [ { "id": "properties", "name": "Properties", "description": "Properties.", "findings": [ { "id": "properties-finding", "name": "Properties", "description": "Properties.", "questions": [ { "text": "What are the physical and chemical properties of thorium, and how does it compare with uranium?", "kind": "definition" }, { "text": "Is the question about the element, an isotope, the fuel cycle or operational matters the model does not cover?", "kind": "boundary" } ] } ] }, { "id": "isotopes", "name": "Isotopes", "description": "Isotopes.", "findings": [ { "id": "isotopes-finding", "name": "Isotopes", "description": "Isotopes.", "questions": [ { "text": "What isotopes exist, and what are thorium-230 dating, the thorium-229m nuclear clock isomer and radioactinium?", "kind": "definition" }, { "text": "Which entry fits the specific isotope?", "kind": "action" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "use", "name": "Use", "description": "Uses.", "rationale": "Application.", "layers": [ { "id": "historical", "name": "Historical", "description": "Historical and current uses.", "findings": [ { "id": "historical-finding", "name": "Historical", "description": "Historical.", "questions": [ { "text": "How has thorium been used in gas mantles, alloys, optics and welding electrodes, and why have many uses ended?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Which references are standard?", "kind": "provenance" } ] } ] }, { "id": "nuclear", "name": "Nuclear", "description": "Thorium fuel cycle.", "findings": [ { "id": "nuclear-finding", "name": "Nuclear", "description": "Nuclear.", "questions": [ { "text": "What is the thorium fuel cycle, what has been tried, and what do proponents and critics say, with positions attributed?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Is the presentation neutral and non-operational?", "kind": "boundary" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "occur", "name": "Occur", "description": "Occurrence and safety.", "rationale": "Regulation.", "layers": [ { "id": "occurrence", "name": "Occurrence", "description": "Occurrence and mining.", "findings": [ { "id": "occurrence-finding", "name": "Occurrence", "description": "Occurrence.", "questions": [ { "text": "Where does thorium occur, and how is it extracted from monazite, in general terms?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Which sources are cited?", "kind": "provenance" } ] } ] }, { "id": "safety", "name": "Safety", "description": "Safety.", "findings": [ { "id": "safety-finding", "name": "Safety", "description": "Safety.", "questions": [ { "text": "What radiological hazards does thorium pose, and how is it regulated?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Which entry fits radiation protection?", "kind": "action" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "context", "name": "Context", "description": "History and science.", "rationale": "Context.", "layers": [ { "id": "history", "name": "History", "description": "History.", "findings": [ { "id": "history-finding", "name": "History", "description": "History.", "questions": [ { "text": "How was thorium discovered by Berzelius and named after Thor, and how was its radioactivity found?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Which entry fits the history of the actinides?", "kind": "action" } ] } ] }, { "id": "science", "name": "Science", "description": "Dating and clocks.", "findings": [ { "id": "science-finding", "name": "Science", "description": "Science.", "questions": [ { "text": "How are thorium isotopes used in geochronology and in nuclear clock research?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Which entry fits nuclear clock?", "kind": "action" } ] } ] } ] } ] }, "openQuestions": [ "Should the thorium fuel cycle be a separate primary entry?", "How should nuclear data sources be linked?", "The registry entry has merged aliases naming isotopes and a historical name; should they be split off?" ], "statistics": { "bundles": 4, "layers": 8, "findings": 8, "questions": 16 } }