Nuclear energy is released by the splitting
(fission) or merging together (fusion) of the
nuclei of
atom(s). The
conversion of nuclear
mass to energy is
consistent with the
mass-energy
equivalence formula
ΔE =
Δm.c², in
which
ΔE = energy release,
Δm =
mass defect, and
c = the
speed of light in a
vacuum (a
physical
constant).
Nuclear energy was first discovered by
French
physicist Henri
Becquerel in 1896, when he found that photographic plates
stored in the dark near uranium were
blackened like X-ray plates, which had been
just recently discovered at the time 1895.
Nuclear chemistry can be used as a
form of
alchemy to turn
lead into
gold or change any atom
to any other atom (albeit through many steps).
Radionuclide (radioisotope) production often
involves irradiation of another
isotope (or
more precisely a
nuclide), with
alpha particles,
beta particles, or
gamma
rays.
Iron has the highest binding energy
per
nucleon of any atom. If an atom of lower
average binding energy is changed into an atom of higher average
binding energy, energy is given off. The chart shows that fusion of
hydrogen, the combination to form heavier
atoms, releases energy, as does fission of uranium, the breaking up
of a larger nucleus into smaller parts. Stability varies between
isotopes: the isotope
U-235 is much less
stable than the more common
U-238.
Nuclear energy is released by three
exoenergetic (or
exothermic) processes:
References
- Turning Lead into Gold
External links