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One thing that can happen when a neutron interacts with a uranium atom is called scattering. The neutron "bounces off" the uranium. Aside from scattering, a neutron has a possibility of being absorbed by the uranium nucleus, and this can cause several different reactions, depending on which isotope of uranium is involved in the reaction. It is neutron absorption that is the mechanism utilized in the chain reactions in nuclear weapons and in nuclear reactors. Nuclear fuel, which is often uranium-235, fissions by absorbing a neutron. In the case of uranium-238, we make plutonium by getting that isotope to absorb a neutron. There is a lot more to learn, and you'll find related links below to get you going.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoAny of several things, depending on the energy of the neutron, some are:
- 1eV neutron, not absorbed.
- 1MeV neutron, absorbed converting to Neptunium-239, then Plutonium-239 by beta decay.
- 15MeV neutron, absorbed causing fission. This process releases up to 90% of the yield of a typical "hydrogen bomb".
The neutron absorption cross-section curve for Uranium-238 is very complex with many narrow spikes (called resonances) at various energies where the capture cross-section becomes thousands of times larger than it is on either side of the spike. What happens after capture also depends on the energy.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThere are different types (isotopes) of uranium, they will react differently. The uranium used for nuclear reactors and atomic bombs is uranium 235. If an atom of U-235 is hit by a neutron, it will become unstable and split. While splitting, it will release two or three more neutrons - this can result in a chain reaction. It will also release a fairly large amount of energy.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agowhen a neutron bombarded with 235 Uranium atom the atom become unstable which allow it to split and create two small atom and release more neutrons which can continue the reaction.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agothey bounce off of each other, transferring some kinetic energy, just like any other atoms.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoAlso a nuclear fission with the production of fission products.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoA nuclear fission reaction.
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Is used in nuclear fission?
all you need in nuclear fission is a large element (235Uranium) and a neutron, the neutron goes into the Uranium causeing it to split into smaller parts grapes.
Carbon 14 is radioactive because?
Stability of a nucleus is dictated by the neutron/proton ratio. Too large or too small and the nucleus is unstable.
Why does uranium give out alpha particles?
Uranium-238 is fissionable. Its just not what we call fissile, which has the added definition of, when fissioned, producing neutrons that can go on to fission more atoms. Uranium-238 is more correctly called fertile, which means that a neutron can transmute it into another isotope, such as plutonium-239, which is fissionable and fissile.Uranium-235, on the other hand, is both fissionable and fissile.
Why is the atomic mass of uranium so much greater than the atomic mass of oxygen?
This reason is, simply, very obvious. Compare the numbers: 238 and 16. Since the orbitals are more full, and the nucleus is packed tighter, and Uranium is located after atomic number 84, it is unstable. All of the elements after 84 are unstable. But that doesn't count isotopes of the earlier elements, because they can be unstable.
What is the kinetic energy of the reaction products helium nucleus plus photon?
When nuclei of deuterium and tritium (one of each) fuse together tp produce a helium nucleus and a free neutron, about 17.5 Mev (million electron volts) is released. This is very small quantity per nucleus (1 Mev = 1.6 x 10-13 Joules) but of course there are a large number occurring in a second. A fission of a U235 nucleus produces 200 Mev, but as hydrogen is much lighter than uranium, the energy released per unit mass is greater for fusion of hydrogen isotopes.
Is used in nuclear fission?
all you need in nuclear fission is a large element (235Uranium) and a neutron, the neutron goes into the Uranium causeing it to split into smaller parts grapes.
Carbon 14 is radioactive because?
Stability of a nucleus is dictated by the neutron/proton ratio. Too large or too small and the nucleus is unstable.
How does uranium boil water to produce electricity?
Uranium, especially the isotope U235, has a large, unstable nucleus. It's unstable because all the positively charged protons in the nucleus are trying to repel each other. They are being held together by the strong nuclear force. Since strong force can only act over very short distances and the U235 nucleus is so large the nucleus is unstable. It tends to want to split into two smaller and thus more stable elements. When this happens it is called nuclear fission. In nuclear power plants we can split the U235 atom on purpose by hitting it with something. This something is a neutron. The neutron has no charge so it can smash into the nucleus and not just bounce off like proton would. Strangely it all works best if we use a slow moving neutron instead of a fast one. A fast neutron, because of quantum smearing, isn't in one place long enough to have any effect. A slow one, though, can be captured briefly by the U235 nucleus. Once the neutron is captured the nucleus is too large to hold together any longer splits apart. The really neat part is that the mass of the nucleus before it split and the mass of all the pieces afterward are different. Something has gone missing. A very small bit of mass has disappeared. Only Albert Einstein can tell us where it went. His famous equation e=mc^2 tells us that a small amount of mass can become a large amount of energy, and that is just what happens in nuclear fission. The missing mass becomes energy, in this case heat energy. The heat boils water. The steam turns a turbine which spins a generator, making electricity.
Does uranium rely on any other energy sources?
The very large nucleus of the uranium atom is a kind of energy storage unit. The energy of that nucleus is the result of the nuclear synthesis reactions that take place in a supernova. In that sense, a supernova is the energy source of uranium.
Why does uranium give out alpha particles?
Uranium-238 is fissionable. Its just not what we call fissile, which has the added definition of, when fissioned, producing neutrons that can go on to fission more atoms. Uranium-238 is more correctly called fertile, which means that a neutron can transmute it into another isotope, such as plutonium-239, which is fissionable and fissile.Uranium-235, on the other hand, is both fissionable and fissile.
Element used in fission?
Usually uranium with various U-235 percentages.
What radioactive decay of uranium?
The nucleus is too large to be stable. There is the theory of grouping of nucleons into alpha particles inside the nucleus and, through oscillations of the nucleus, one of these on one end of the nucleus can be repelled with a great enough force to push it out of the nucleus.
What is a nuclear reaction?
One large nucleus, typically uranium, undergoes fission and releases several neutrons along with the major fission products. These neutrons strike more uranium atoms and are absorbed by the nucleus causing it to become unstable. It undergoes fission releasing more neutrons and more fission products. These neutrons strike more uranium atoms etc.
How is a uranium-235 nucleus made to undergo fission?
Nuclear fission is the splitting up of big atomic nuclei. Uranium is quite a large nuclei. Each time a uranium atom splits up, it spits out two or three neutrons. One of which might hit another nuclei causing it to split - thus keeping the chain reaction going. The uranium atom - when hit by a neutron splits into Barium and Krypton.
What caused nuclear energy to be produced?
Basically, the fission or splitting of the nucleus of Uranium 235 or Plutonium 239, which releases a large amount of thermal energy
Uranium 238 change to lead 206 at the end of how many half lives?
Uranium-238, or more properly 92238U, is naturally radioactive. (It does not "become" radioactive.) Radioactivity of an isotope simply means that it has an unstable nucleus. It is unstable because the nucleus is large enough that the nuclear force (residual strong atomic force) that holds the nucleus together is offset by the competing electromagnetic force which makes protons repel each other. The reason for this offset is that the nuclear force declines with distance at a greater rate than the electromagnetic force. There are other reasons for radioactivity, such as isotopic variations in neutron to proton ratio, but the size of the nucleus is primary, for elements with atomic number greater than 82.
Can uranium be produced on a large scale?
Yes, uranium can be produced on a large scale.Now the world production of uranium is approx. 55 000 t/year.
