Introduction to Nuclear Fission
Fundamentally, Nuclear fission is the splitting of some particles involving energy. It can be referred to as the subdivision or splitting up of a heavy atomic nucleus into various fragments. This procedure is accompanied by the release of huge amounts of energy. A substance is said to be fissile if it is capable of undergoing nuclear fission.
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| Image Source - Atomic Archive |
A glimpse at its History
The term was first used by German physicists Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch in 1939 to describe the splitting of a heavy nucleus into two lighter nuclei of nearly the same size. But if I take you seven years back, in 1932 then we will notice that the discovery of nuclear fission actually began with the discovery of the neutron in 1932 by the famous scientist James Chadwick. Shortly thereafter Enrico Fermi and his associates in Italy undertook an extensive investigation of the nuclear reactions produced by the bombardment of various elements with this uncharged particle. In particular, they observed (1934) that at least four different radioactive species resulted from the bombardment of uranium with slow neutrons. These newly discovered species emitted beta particles and were thought to be isotopes of unstable “transuranium elements” (elements with atomic greater than 92) of atomic numbers 93, 94, and maybe higher. A plethora number of radiochemists showed intense interest to examine the properties of these elements. However, the outcomes of these examinations were perplexing and created immense confusion. It was until 1939 when Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann in Germany, followed a clue provided by IrΓ¨ne Joliot-Curie and Pavle SaviΔ in France (1938). This proved definitely that the so-called transuranic elements were in fact radioisotopes (radioactive isotopes of an element) of barium, lanthanum, and other elements in the middle of the periodic table.
Source of this energy
The enormous amount of energy released from the splitting determines how hard the protons are repelling each other with the Coulomb force. Each proton is applying a force of approximately 20 N on every other proton. This huge force over a small distance leads to a fair amount of released energy which is large enough to considerably reduce the mass. This means that the total mass of each of the fission fragments is less than the mass of the starting nucleus.
Basics of Nuclear Fission
The fission procedure can be comprehended by the consideration of structure and stability of nuclear matter. It consists of neutrons and protons whose total sum is equal to the mass number of the nucleus. The actual mass of a nucleus is always less than the sum of the masses of the free neutrons and protons that constitute it. The fission of heavier elements is an exothermic reaction. Such kinds of fission can release up to 200 EV which is a lot more than the burning of coal which releases just a few ev. From this, it is apparent why nuclear fission is used in electricity generation. Additionally, the amount of energy released is much more efficient than that of coal. The main reason nuclear fission is used for electricity generation is because with proper moderation and the use of control rods, the ejected free neutrons from the fission reaction can then react further with the fuel again. This then creates a sustained nuclear chain reaction, which releases fairly constant amounts of energy.
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| Image Source - Physics World |
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| Image Source - Britannica |
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| Image Source - Energy Education |
References
www.britannica.com
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