Chapter 27 Nuclear Energy
27.1 Nuclear fission and fusion
A Nuclear fission
1 ____________________________ is a reaction in which
(a) a heavy nucleus splits into two or more lighter nuclei;
(b) a huge amount of ______________ is released;
(c) ______________ are usually emitted.
2 Some nuclides undergo fission when they are bombarded by a ______________.
For example, a uranium-235 nucleus can split in several ways when bombarded by
a _____________________ neutron. The following gives one possible reaction:
235 1
¾®144
92 U + 0 n ¾
90
56 Ba + 36 Kr + 2 01 n + energy
nucleus
neutron
neutron
slow-moving
neutron
nucleus
nucleus
3 The ______________ emitted in the fission of a uranium-235 nucleus can continue
splitting other nearby uranium-235 nuclei. When the emission of neutrons and the
splitting of nuclei continue in this way, _____________________ occurs.
nucleus
neutron
neutron neutron
nucleus
nucleus
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4 The neutrons emitted in the fission may also ______________ without splitting any
nuclei. However, if the amount of uranium-235 nuclei is _____________ enough, only
small proportion of the neutrons will escape and the chain reaction can be sustained.
A chain reaction of uranium-235 is sustained if at least _______________
neutron from each fission splits another uranium-235 nucleus. The
minimum amount of uranium-235 required for a sustained chain reaction
is called the ______________________.
Checkpoint 1
In the following fission, P, Q and R denote different nuclei and n denotes a neutron. If
a large amount of P nucleus is provided, can this fission result in a chain reaction?
P+n¾
¾® Q + R
Solution
This fission is triggered by ______________, but it ________________________________.
Therefore, it ______________ (can / cannot) result in a chain reaction.
B Nuclear fusion
1 ____________________________ is a reaction in which two light nuclei join together
to form a heavier nucleus.
2 A huge amount of energy is released in nuclear fusion when the interacting nuclei
belong to elements with ______________ atomic numbers. The following gives an
example.
nucleus nucleus In this fusion of hydrogen, 1 g
of fuel releases about 3.4 ´
1011 J of energy, which is much
______________ than that
nucleus neutron
released by nuclear fission.
3 A very ____________________________ (~ 107 °C) is needed for fusion to occur.
The positively charged nuclei should possess very high _____________________ to
overcome the strong electrostatic repulsion between them.
4 The sun undergoes ______________ of hydrogen in its core to produce energy.
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27.2 Mass-energy relationship
A Units of mass and energy in atomic scale
1 The ____________________________ (u) is a unit of mass, which is defined as:
1
1u = ´ mass of a _______________________
12
= _____________________ kg
2 The table shows the masses of some particles in atomic mass unit.
Particle Mass / u
proton 1.007 276
neutron 1.008 665
electron 0.000 549
hydrogen-2 (deuteron) nucleus 2.013 553
hydrogen-3 (tritium) nucleus 3.015 500
helium-4 nucleus 4.001 506
uranium-235 nucleus 235.043 923
3 The _____________________ (eV) is a unit of energy, which is the energy gained by an
electron when it is accelerated by 1 V.
1 eV = e ´ 1 V = ________________ C ´ 1 V = ________________ J
B Mass-energy equivalence
1 Einstein suggested that _________ and _________ are equivalent and interconvertible.
2 In a nuclear reaction, energy is released due to a loss in the total mass of the reactants.
The amount of energy released is given by the ________________________________:
DE =
where DE is the amount of energy released in _________,
Dm is the loss in mass in _________,
c is the speed of light, i.e. 3.00 ´ 108 m s-1.
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Checkpoint 2
(a) Find the amount of energy released if 1 g of mass is completely converted into energy.
Give your answer in J.
(b) A certain mass is completely converted into an energy of 100 000 J. Find the mass.
Solution
Apply DE = Dmc2.
(a) DE =
\ The energy released is _____________________.
(b) Dm =
\ The mass is _____________________.
3 The atomic mass unit can be used as a unit of ______________. For example, if the loss
in mass in a reaction is 0.192 789 u, the energy released in the reaction can be simply
expressed as 0.192 789 u. As a unit of energy,
1 u = __________ MeV
* In calculation, unless otherwise specified, write any result in u correct to 6 decimal
places.
4 The conversion between mass and energy in different units can be summarized as
follows:
(mass)
´ 1.661 ´ 10-27
kg ´ (3.00 ´ 108)2
(mass / energy) u J (energy)
´ 931 MeV ´ 106 ´ (1.60 ´ 10-19)
(energy)
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Checkpoint 3
Find the amount of energy that 2.05 ´ 10-28 kg of mass is equivalent to. Give your answer in
(a) u, (b) J, (c) MeV.
Solution
(a) Energy =
(b) Energy =
(c) Method 1 (® u ® MeV):
Energy =
Method 2 (® J ® MeV):
Energy =
5 The amount of energy released in a nuclear reaction can be found as follows:
(a) Find out the mass of each particle involved in the reaction.
(b) Calculate the difference in the total mass of the particles before and after the
reaction.
(c) Convert the mass difference into energy.
Checkpoint 4
The following equation shows the fission of uranium-235.
235 1
¾®141
92 U + 0 n ¾
92
56 Ba + 36 Kr + k 01n
235
Given: mass of 92 U = 235.043 923 u
141
mass of 56 Ba = 140.914 403 u
92
mass of 36 Kr = 91.926 173 u
1
mass of 0n= 1.008 665 u
(a) Find k.
(b) Find the energy released. Give your answer in J.
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Solution
(a) Consider the _____________________.
(b) Total mass before reaction =
Total mass after reaction =
Loss in mass Dm =
Energy released DE = Dmc2 =
Checkpoint 5
A bismuth-210 ( 210 210
83 Bi ) nucleus decays to a polonium-210 ( 84 Po ) nucleus by emitting
210
a b particle. The half-life of bismuth-210 is 5.01 days. Take the mass of 83 Bi to be 209.984
210
121 u, the mass of 84 Po to be 209.982 874 u and the mass of b particle to be 0.000 549 u.
(a) Find the energy released E in the decay. Give your answer in J.
(b) At a certain moment, there is 1 g of bismuth-210 nuclei in a container. Estimate the
power due to the b decays of these nuclei.
Solution
(a) Bismuth-210 undergoes a b decay as follows:
210
¾® 210
83 Bi ¾
0
84 Po + -1 β
E = loss in mass = ______________________________________________________
= ___________________ u
=
(b) Number of bismuth-210 nuclei (N)
total mass
= =
mass of each nucleus
Decay constant k =
Power due to the b decays = number of b decay occurring in each second ´ E
= (kN) ´ E
=
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27.3 Applications of nuclear energy
A Nuclear power
1 The use of nuclear energy can help solve the world’s future energy ___________ crisis
and reduces the problems caused by the burning of _____________________.
2 In a nuclear power station, controlled nuclear ______________ (fission / fusion) is used
to generate electricity.
3 Enriched uranium-235 is a commonly used nuclear fuel. It undergoes fission in the
_____________________ and releases energy to heat up the water to produce steam.
The steam then drives the turbine / generator to produce electricity.
4 Nuclear fission produces radioactive substances. A leakage of these substances will
cause serious and long-lasting health and environmental problems.
5 After the reusable materials are extracted, the _____________________ with long half-
lives should be sealed in steel containers and stored underground.
6 Nuclear power has long been a contentious issue. Some pros and cons are listed below.
(a) Pros:
(i) Oil and coal will very likely run out soon. Nuclear power is a solution to the
energy shortage crisis.
(ii) Nuclear fuel is small in size and easy to ______________.
(iii) Nuclear fuel is in many cases cheaper than coal or oil for generating
electricity.
(iv) Nuclear power stations produce much fewer _____________________ than
coal- and oil-fired power stations.
(b) Cons:
(i) Future energy needs can be met by using ______________ energy sources.
(ii) The widespread use of nuclear energy will lead to the growth of __________
______________.
(iii) Greenhouse gases are produced in preparing the nuclear fuels. Besides, hot
water is discharged from nuclear power stations into the sea and causes
_____________________.
(iv) A nuclear accident has extremely serious consequences.
(v) Handling and storing nuclear waste cause serious safety problems.
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7 Nuclear fusion has advantages over nuclear fission in generating electricity, but making
controlled nuclear fusion is still not a practical reality.
(a) Advantages:
(i) The fusion fuel (hydrogen-2) is plentiful in ____________, so its cost is low.
(ii) The fusion product (helium) is inert and _____________________.
(b) Difficulties:
(i) It is difficult to maintain the _____________________ (107 °C) required for
fusion to occur.
(ii) No actual solid container can withstand such a high temperature. Special
techniques must be used to hold the fusion fuel and the products.
Checkpoint 6
The following equation shows the fusion of hydrogen.
2 3
¾® 42 He+ 01 n
1 H+ 1 H ¾
2 3
Given: mass of 1H = 2.013 553 u, mass of 1H = 3.015 500 u,
4 1
mass of 2 He = 4.001 506 u, mass of 0n= 1.008 665 u.
(a) Find the energy released in this reaction. Give your answer in MeV.
2
(b) What is the minimum mass of 1H required to produce 1 ´ 1023 MeV of energy?
Give your answer in kg.
(c) Explain why this fusion is difficult to use in generating electricity.
Solution
(a) Energy released = loss in mass
= _______________________________________________________
= ___________________ u
=
total energy released
(b) Minimum mass of 2
1H = ´ mass of 21 H in each reaction
energy released in one reaction
(c) __________________________________________ is required for the fusion to occur,
but no actual solid container can withstand this.
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B Nuclear weapons
1 Nuclear weapons like ____________ bomb, ____________ bomb and ____________
bomb were developed from physics principles. Their great destructive power comes
from ______________ (controlled / uncontrolled) fission or fusion.
2 The working principles of an atomic bomb and a hydrogen bomb are as follows:
chemical explosive for forcing fission bomb to
the lumps of fuel together trigger fusion reaction
separated lumps of fuel fusion fuel
Atomic bomb Hydrogen bomb
Two lumps of fission fuel are forced The atomic bomb explodes to
together quickly. This makes the total provide a high temperature and
mass exceed the critical mass and the trigger the uncontrolled nuclear
uncontrolled nuclear fission occurs. fusion.
3 A neutron bomb is similar to the hydrogen bomb except that it explodes at high altitude.
The ______________ produced in the nuclear fusion travel to the ground level and
destroy life without affecting the ______________.
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