Nuclear Fission and Fusion

Convert between moles, mass and molecules, atoms, ions, polyatomic ions

Nuclear Fission

production of lighter nuclei by the decomposition of
heavier nuclei. Fission may happen when a heavier nucleus captures a
neutron.

Fission

What type of nuclear reaction is this?

Neutron Bombardment

(First Step of Nuclear Fission): ______ ________ causes heavy nuclei to split

Splitting

(Second Step of Nuclear Fission): ______ releases more neutrons

Chain Reaction

(Third Step of Nuclear Fission): More neutrons lead to a _________ _________

Radioactivity

(Radioactive Decay) Unstable nuclei shows ________

Emission of Radiation

(Radioactive decay): spontaneous disintegration of nuclei by ________ _ ________

Nuclear Fusion

Production of a heavier nucleus by combination of lighter nuclei

Fusion

What type of nuclear reaction is this?

Neutron Capture

The process by which a neutron is captured by a nucleus to produce an isotope with a mass number one unit higher.

New Nuclides

Neutron capture events involving plutonium may lead to ___ _______.

The More Stable The Nucleus

(Trend of Binding Energy per Nucleon) The greater the binding energy per nucleon, the more what?

⁵⁶Fe

Binding Energy per nucleon maximizes around where?

Nuclei fuse together and form heavier nuclei

For atomic mass <56(in area of box 1) what happens to the nuclei?

Nuclei split (fission) into lighter nuclei

For atomic mass >56(in area of box 2) what happens to nuclei?

Trend of Binding Energy per Nucleon

What is this?