Question

Explain nuclear fission reaction with an example.

Answer 1

1. Nuclear fission is a type of nuclear reaction that involves the splitting of atoms.
2. The phenomenon of splitting up a heavy atomic nucleus into lighter fragments and nuclei along with the emission of gamma rays or photons releasing large amounts of energy is termed nuclear fission.
3. This process can occur naturally by the spontaneous splitting of an atom via radioative decay or can be simulated in a lab by achieving appropriate conditions such as bombarding the heavy atom with subatomic particles like neutrons.
4. Fission processes are exothermic reactions releasing energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation as well as kinetic energy imparted to the produced fragments.
5. In controlled environments such as reactors, all nuclear fission occurs as a nuclear reaction that is bombardment-driven and involves the collision of two subatomic particles.
6. Most reactions involve the collision of a subatomic particle with an atomic nucleus which results in the formation of resultant fragments and particles.
7. This would work with an example of a Uranium atom bombarded by a neutron.
8. This was essentially how nuclear fission was first discovered by Hahn and Strassman in $1939.$
9. They bombarded a uranium nucleus $235U$with slow neutrons and found that the nucleus split into two medium-weight parts with a release of enormous amounts of energy.
10. When a neutron strikes a $235U$ nucleus, the neutron gets absorbed by it, producing an unstable uranium$236U$nucleus.
11. This intermediate nucleus gets split into intermediate-mass nuclei barium $141Ba$ and krypton $92Kr.$
12. additionally, three neutrons are ejected out and a small mass defect occurs, which is converted into enormous amounts of energy.