0
What else can I help you with?
Why fission cannot take place with fast neutron?
In order to cause an atomic nucleus to become unstable so that it will undergo fission, you have to add a neutron. If a slow neutron collides with an atomic nucleus, it will be absorbed into the nucleus and become part of it. The nuclear attraction of the nucleus is strong enough to grab a slow neutron. But a fast neutron cannot be captured because it has too much kinetic energy. The attraction of the nucleus is not enough to stop the motion of a fast neutron. Even if a fast neutron makes a direct hit on an atomic nucleus, it is just going to bounce off.
Why are neutrons used as nuclear bullets to cause nuclear disintegration of an unstable nucleus?
Neutrons have no charge. As a result, they are not deflected by the positive charge of the nucleus or the negative charge of the electron cloud. They have the best chance of interacting with the nucleus and further destabilizing it, causing it to split.
How does neutrons react with atoms?
Neutrons interact with atoms primarily through nuclear reactions. When a neutron collides with a nucleus, it can be absorbed, leading to the formation of a heavier isotope, or it can cause the nucleus to become unstable and undergo fission, splitting into smaller nuclei and releasing energy. Neutrons do not carry an electric charge, so they can penetrate the atomic nucleus more easily than charged particles. This characteristic makes them crucial in nuclear reactors and certain types of particle physics experiments.
What happens to remainig neutrons after consumption of all the Uranium in uncontrolled Nuclear fission reaction?
Basically, there are two things that can ultimately happen to neutrons. Either they get absorbed into the nucleus of an atom, or they undergo radioactive decay. In a fission reactor, neutrons typically last only microseconds, with the life expectancy depending on conditions. A free neutron, outside the reactor, has a half life of 886 seconds, or a little less than fifteen minutes. During its lifetime, it could travel quite far, but the likelihood of a neutron getting out of the reactor is extremely small, so small that it is discounted as an event rare enough not to warrant concern.capturedescapestriggers fission
What aspects of the composition of a nucleus can cause it to be unstable?
The two aspects that cause the nucleus of any element atom to be unstable are:not have the specific neutron/proton ratio to be a stable nucleus, and orhaving number of protons that exceeds the stability limit (exceeding 83).Referring to question below for more information.
Why fission cannot take place with fast neutron?
In order to cause an atomic nucleus to become unstable so that it will undergo fission, you have to add a neutron. If a slow neutron collides with an atomic nucleus, it will be absorbed into the nucleus and become part of it. The nuclear attraction of the nucleus is strong enough to grab a slow neutron. But a fast neutron cannot be captured because it has too much kinetic energy. The attraction of the nucleus is not enough to stop the motion of a fast neutron. Even if a fast neutron makes a direct hit on an atomic nucleus, it is just going to bounce off.
What happens after a freely moving neutron it is introduced to a nuclear fuel?
When a freely moving neutron is introduced to a nuclear fuel like uranium, it can be absorbed by the nucleus of the fuel atom, causing it to become unstable and split into two or more smaller atoms, releasing energy and more neutrons in the process. This is known as nuclear fission, and it can lead to a chain reaction if the released neutrons go on to collide with other fuel atoms and cause them to undergo fission as well.
A free-moving neutron is absorbed by the nucleus of an atom. This can cause?
the atom to become unstable and rip apart
Why are neutrons used as nuclear bullets to cause nuclear disintegration of an unstable nucleus?
Neutrons have no charge. As a result, they are not deflected by the positive charge of the nucleus or the negative charge of the electron cloud. They have the best chance of interacting with the nucleus and further destabilizing it, causing it to split.
How does positron emission cause nuclear transmutation?
It is in beta plus decay that we see the positron emitted from the nucleus. (An electron is emitted in beta minus decay.) Within the nucleus of an unstable atom, a proton transforms into a neutron, and a positron is ejected from the nucleus (along with a neutrino). As the nucleus now has one more proton than it did before, its atomic number just went up by one; it is another element.
What are examples of nuclear changes in mass?
Changes in nuclear mass can happen when, say, radioactive decay occurs and a nucleus loses mass. When an unstable atomic nucleus "adjusts" to a new state, it dumps a particle or particles, and energy, and its mass decreases. Certainly nuclear fission will cause a dramatic reduction in nuclear mass, but this is the actual "breaking up" of a nucleus into smaller nuclei called fission fragments. Perhaps an example will help. The element radon is an inert gas, but it has no stable isotopes. It's most stable isotope, 222Rn, appears as a decay product of radium; it's a radioactive daughter. It turns out that 222Rn decays by alpha emission, and that means that two neutrons and two protons are kicked out of the nucleus. This will produce the radioactive daughter product polonium-218. It is possible for a nucleus to absorb a particle and gain mass. Frequently this will cause nuclear instability (if it doesn't actually initiate fission) and create a radionuclide, which is unstable and will eventually decay. But something like, say, neutron absorption (neutron capture) will result in an atomic nuclei with a greater mass than the original atomic nucleus that absorbed that neutron. It is of note that fusion knits smaller nuclei or particles together to create a larger nucleus, but this may not necessarily be considered a "simple increase" of mass in a nucleus, though the resultant nucleus will be heavier than any constituent nucuei or particles. You may want an example. If we stick some uranium-238 into an operating nuclear reactor, the 238U will absorb a neutron to become 239U, which is heavier by one neutron that the atomic nucleus that absorbed that neutron. (The 239U is unstable and decays in a couple of steps to make 239Pu, which is used as the fissile material in most nuclear bombs and as a fuel in some nuclear reactors.) Use the links below to related articles posted by our friends at Wikipedia, where knowledge is free.
Why does every element except hydrogen need at least one neutron in its neucleus?
Every element except hydrogen needs at least one neutron in its nucleus because it needs attractive force from the strong nuclear interaction to counter the electrostatic repulsion between the protons.
How neutron is bombarded on uranium?
Neutrons are typically bombarded onto uranium-235 nuclei to induce nuclear fission reactions. When a neutron collides with a uranium-235 nucleus, it can be absorbed, causing the nucleus to become unstable and split into two smaller nuclei, along with releasing more neutrons and a large amount of energy. This process is the basis of nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons.
What is shot at isotope's nucleus to trigger nuclear chain reaction?
Neutrons are typically shot at an isotope's nucleus to trigger a nuclear chain reaction. When a neutron collides with a nucleus, it can cause the nucleus to split, releasing more neutrons that can trigger additional fission reactions in nearby nuclei, leading to a chain reaction.
What is neutron capture?
In short, neutron capture is a nuclear reaction wherein an atomic nucleus captures one (or perhaps more) neutrons. The nucleus is then one nucleon heavier (or perhaps more, if more neutrons are absorbed). The new nucleus may be subject to further transformations, depending on what was formed in the capture process. Many different atomic nuclei can capture a neutron under the right conditions. We often think of uranium or plutonium (nuclear fuels) as atoms that undergo neutron capture. It is, after all, neutron capture that destabilizes the nucleus and can cause nuclear fission. This is the process that we set up when we build a nuclear reactor or a nuclear weapon. We can expose any number of different materials to the neutron flux in operating nuclear reactor. Atoms in the material will undergo neutron capture, depending on the conditions in the ractor, and (primarily) what the material is. In the case of cobalt, we will lower a measured amount of the metal in a suitable form into the reactor via a port. After a desired amount of time, the slug of cobalt, which was cobalt-59, is withdrawn. We now have a slug that has a fair percentage of cobalt-60 in it, and cobalt-60 is radioactive. The isotope emits gamma rays, and the slug is put in a casket of shielding material and can be transported for industrial use. (It might be used to X-ray welds in piping at a remote location, or sterilize band aids or other medical items at the end of a manufacturing process.)
What happens to remainig neutrons after consumption of all the Uranium in uncontrolled Nuclear fission reaction?
Basically, there are two things that can ultimately happen to neutrons. Either they get absorbed into the nucleus of an atom, or they undergo radioactive decay. In a fission reactor, neutrons typically last only microseconds, with the life expectancy depending on conditions. A free neutron, outside the reactor, has a half life of 886 seconds, or a little less than fifteen minutes. During its lifetime, it could travel quite far, but the likelihood of a neutron getting out of the reactor is extremely small, so small that it is discounted as an event rare enough not to warrant concern.capturedescapestriggers fission
What aspects of the composition of a nucleus can cause it to be unstable?
The two aspects that cause the nucleus of any element atom to be unstable are:not have the specific neutron/proton ratio to be a stable nucleus, and orhaving number of protons that exceeds the stability limit (exceeding 83).Referring to question below for more information.
