Part A- An explanation of the process of nuclear fusion and fission citing specific examples.

Nuclear Fission

Definition of Nuclear Fission:a nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy. (2009,Dictionary.com)

The process of splitting atom is first, you must make the nucleus absorb a neutron then it becomes unstable and splits. Last the neutrons are released causing a chain reaction.
How the energy that is released from the neutron is kinetic energy that comes from the fissions products and its neutrons. In the future the decay that comes from the fission products releases energy. This energy is produced from the neutrinos and the energy is lost. At the same time when fission is produced so is y-rays.(2009,Fintan Darragh)

Fission Reactor

(2009,Energy Research)

Parts of a Fission Reactor

Fuel Rods get hot which enriches the uranium.

The energy is passed on my carbon dioxide gas trough the coolant. When being pumped around the circulators the carbon dioxide heat the fuel rods. This reaction super-heats the water that is passing through the pipes next to the reactor and turns the passing water into steam. The steam then drives the turbines. Control Rods keeps the chian reaction critical. You want a good reactor, which means you want it to decay after decay. But only a small amount of decay not a big amount, each time only 1.4 neutrons each day. The control rods are made of boron which is a neutron-absorbing material. These are used in the lower region of the chamber to absorb neutrons and slow reactions. To slow down the how fast a neutron is you must increase the chance of a reaction. What you are doing when slowing neutrons down is a moderator. This is done by letting the smaller-sized atoms collide with the neutrons. Hydrogen gas is no use for this. the head-on collision would steal the neutron of all KE. This is hydrogen in heavy water of graphite.(2009,Buster Answers)

Nuclear Fusion

• Heat the gas to about 108 K.
  
• Electrons break away from their atoms, forming a plasma and ionising the atoms.
  
• A neutron will collide with the atom in the plasma. It must be going fast as it has to overcome the repulsive ion and get within 1 fm of the nucleus, ∴ initial KE ≥ PE at 1 fm from the atom. (2009,Buster Answers)

(2009,Geocities)

Differences between Fusion and fission:

Fusion

• Both different types of Nuclear reactions
• An threshold that is extremely high must be reached to combine nuclei.
• The natural way of fusion occuring is in the core of a star
• Requires alot of energy that no body has yet built a reactor that produces more than it consumes.
• involves lightweight elements coming together to make larger atoms, generally hydrogen turning into helium

Fission

• Both different types of Nuclear reactions
• Has to do with radioactive byproducts
• Associated with nuclear weapons and meltdowns
• involves heavy atoms, generally uranium and plutonium being split into smaller atomic fragments

(2003-2009 Anissimov , Michael)

Similariteis between Fusion and Fission:

• each process gives off massive radioactivity and heat.
• release the potential energy of nuclear bonds by converting elements to other elements.
• generate light, heat and radioactive emissions.
• exothermis reactions: both cases mass is converted to energy.
• Endothermic reactions: energy is converted into mass.
• involve atoms and give off tremendous amounts of energy.
• the sum of the masses of the products is less than the sum of the masses of the parent atoms and isotopes.

(2009, yahoo)

Part B- A distinction between nuclear reactions and chemical reactions citing specific examples.

Differences between Nuclear and Chemical Reactions

When compounds or elements convert to another form is a reaction. Common reactions that encounter often are chemical reactions. when chemical reactions take place between compounds or elements only the outermost eletrons rearrange. there are two different types of nuclear reactions 1. nuclear fusion reactions and 2. nuclear fission reactions. There is many differences between nuclear and chemical reactions.

Chemical reaction differences

• atoms undergo change and the products become new chemicals
• The nuclei is not affected when the electrons participate in the reaction
• When the amount of elements in the reaction and the products are conserved the elements do not change.
• usually a very small amount of energy is liberated or absorbed
• no radioactivity given off
• all isotopes give the same chemical radioactivity
• temperature and pressure of reacting compounds do affect the change of chemical reactions
• can be reserved

Nuclear reaction differences

• nucleus of the atom undergoes changes and the products are new nuclei
• A nuclear reaction alters the composition of the parent nuclei and the nucli undergo changes
• Whe nuclei undergoes changes the indentity of the element changes. The number of total nucleons is conserved in nuclear reactions
• Endothermic reactions are not seen but during these reactions very large amounts of energy is liberated.
• escorted by strong radioactive emissions.
• each and every different isotope can have its own reactions
• While pressure is applied on reacting nuclei it is not affected by temperature
• Cannot be reversed.
• In some rare reactions the reactions can be reversed but only under very hard experimental conditions.

(2009, Nuclear Fission and Fusion)

(2009, Energysrc)

Part C- A comparison of the amount of energy released through a chemical reaction and nuclear fusion and fission

Energy released through Chemical Reactions

Fission reaction: has to do with the splitting of atomic nuclei into two or more parts after crashing with a free neutron. Uranium is the only natural element that can easily be split. The small particles that travel at a incredible speed and crach with other uranium nuclei causing them to split is the particles of the nuclei that split. This leads to a chain reaction creating heat from the kinetic energy of the quickly moving particles. This heat is used to convert water to steam which then turns a turbine that turns a generator and creates electricity.

Nuclear fission diagram

(2009, Nuclear Chemistry)

The process in which hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium atoms is nuclear fusion. The pros to this are that this process produces the same amount of energy: kilogram for kilogram, as the best modern energy source which is nuclear fission. It also does not produce dangerous radioactive waste only helium.

(2009, Nuclear Chemistry)

Disadvantages of nuclear fusion is that it isquite difficult to get a self-sustaining fusion reaction started. Because you have to heat the hydrogen up to extreme temperatures. Most of the time it takes more energy to do this than the energy that is produced in the reaction.

When fission or fusion appears the process of changing elementary particles from one type of particle to another type is not exactly perfect at all. If you measured the mass of the particles after fusion or fission took place, the mass would be less then it was before.

average fusion reactions and the energy discharge are given in the table below

D + D = H3+N=3.27 MeV

D + D = T + p = 4.04 MeV

T + D = He4 + n = 17.26 MeV
He3 + D = He4 + p = 18.34 MeV
Li6 + D = 2He4 = 22.4 MeV
Li7 + p = 2He4 = 17.3 MeV
He3 + He3 = 2p + He4 = 12.86 MeV

for some people its easier to understand the famous equation

E=mc2

(2009, Nuclear Chemistry)

Part D- Compare and contrast the properties of elements and their radioactive isotopes

Isotopes

Two forms of an element with the same atomic number but different mass number. The presence of isotopes can be understood by looking over the structure of atoms.
All atoms contain three kinds of basic particles 1. protons 2.neutrons 3.electrons. The protons and neutrons in an atom are found in the atomic nucleus while the electrons are found in the space around the nucleus.
The number of protons in a nucleus defines an atom. Hydrogen atoms all contain one proton in their nucleus. Helium atoms contain two protons in their nucleus. Lithium atoms contain three protons in their nucleus and on and on and on. The amount of protons in an atom's nucleus is its atomic number. Hydrogen has an atomic number of 1. Helium an atomic number of 2. Lithium has an atomic number of 3. Another way of defining isotopes is that they are different forms of an atom with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
Most elements have at least two stable isotopes. The use of stable here means not radioactive. Twenty elements, including fluorine, sodium, aluminum, phosphorus, and gold, have only one stable isotope.

Representing Isotopes

There are two ways isotopes are represented. One, they may be directed by putting down the name of the element followed by the mass number of the isotope. The two forms of helium are called helium-4 and helium-3. Two, isotopes may be directed by the chemical symbol of the element with a superscript that shows their mass number. The designations for the two isotopes of helium are 4He and 3He.

(2009,Science clairified)

Part E- Descriptions of how isotopes can be used in research, medicine, industry, and electricity generation.

How isotopes are used in research

All that is discussed here is why stable isotopes research works. It has a fairly accurate description of the natural processes that are used by researchers in many different kinds of ways. The earth and its atmosphere is made of diferent elements of different atoms. For example oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. These all have several forms based upon there atomic weight.(2009, Stable isotopes)

(2009, Atomicarchive)

Used in Medicine

C.A.T. Scans for the Dye that is used when the Scan is being done.
The "isotopes" in the C.A.T scans is the dye. which will allow the Tech, and the Doctor to see the area or area's that are highlighted in a the part of the Scan that are affected. This is how
they find the problems, and are fast to diagnose the problem. Some isotopes like
Chromium-51 are used to label red-blood cells.(2009, Wikianswers)

Used in industry

• Modern industry uses radioisotopes in a many differnet kinds of ways to improve fertile and, in some cases, to gain information that cannot be gained in any other way.
  


• Sealed radioactive sources are used in industrial radiography, projection applications and mineral analysis.


• Short-lived radioactive material is used in flow tracing and mixing measurements.
  


• Gamma sterilization is used for medical supplies, some bulk commodities and, increasingly, for food preservation. (2009, Springerlink)

Used in Electricity Generation

Noble gas stable isotope affluence measurements may or may not provide a tool for detecting reprocessing activities of nuclear fuels. An approach has been made by blending calculations of released fission xenon and krypton in air using the Isotope Mixture Programs which have been developed at the IRMM. These have been made by carrying out these calculations. After having obtained a reliable approximation to the expected range of the isotope ratios in the blends and the respectful detection limit there of through these calculations, the potential application of ultra-accurate measurements of the isotopic agreement of anthropogenic and atmospheric noble gases is taken into application. Also the important role of radiometric measurements of 85Kr and 133Xe for the detection of nuclear fuel is taken into account. The information hown by such activity measurements is limited, therefore a method to calculate the initial isotopic composition of released fission noble gases, through measuring of their atmospheric mixing ratio, is presented and discussed. Highly accurate stable isotopic measurements of atmospheric noble gases might provide more detailed information on the "history" of the reprocessed nuclear fuel. So they could serve in combination with radiometric detection techniques. (2009, SpringerLink)

Half-life

"the time required for one half the atoms of a given amount of a radioactive substance to disintegrate."(2009,Dictionary)

Part F- Descriptions of the types of radiation produced from a nuclear reaction and the potential risks and benefits associated with each type

Types of Radiation produced by Nuclear Reaction

Types:

• Gamma Rays: Energetic Photons. This term means photons produced in the nucleus. X-ray the term means the photons that are produced by eletronic transitions in the atom. Out of these two x-rays usually have lower energies then gamma rays.
• Neutrons: Are one of many basic components of the nuclei of an atom. Neutral particles so they can penetrate through materials very easily. Gamma rays can also do this so this makes them very useful and dangerous. Products of many reactions. Especially inportant in the "Chain reaction" which makes both nuclear power and nuclear weapons possible.
• Protons: Another main component of the atoms in a nuclie. Have close to the same mass has neutrons. Interact very strongly with electrons in its normal matter.
• Light Ions: Isotopes of hydrogen. Are very importan in fusions reactions in weapons, this makes them very interesting.
• Heavy Ions: Used in scientifical research

(2009,impacs)

Part G- Diagrams, titles, captions, and other qualities representative of VOIGHT

Nuclear energy Diagrams

Nuclear Power Plant

(2009,The free information society)

Use of Nuclear energy around the world

(2009,The free information society)

(2009, DWS Business)