Nuclear Reactions:
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A nuclear reaction is the process in which two nuclei, or a nucleus and an external subatomic particle, collide to produce one or more new nuclides.
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Thus, a nuclear reaction must cause a transformation of at least one nuclide to another.
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Types:
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Nuclear Fission:
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The nucleus of an atom splits into two daughter nuclei.
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This decay can be natural spontaneous splitting by radioactive decay, or can actually be simulated in a lab by achieving necessary conditions (bombarding with neutrons, alpha particles, etc.).
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The resulting fragments tend to have a combined mass which is less than the original. The missing mass is usually converted into nuclear energy.
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Currently all commercial nuclear reactors are based on nuclear fission.
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Nuclear Fusion:
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Nuclear Fusion is defined as the combining of two lighter nuclei into a heavier one.
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Such nuclear fusion reactions are the source of energy in the Sun and other stars.
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It takes considerable energy to force the nuclei to fuse. The conditions needed for this process are extreme – millions of degrees of temperature and millions of pascals of pressure.
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The hydrogen bomb is based on a thermonuclear fusion reaction. However, a nuclear bomb based on the fission of uranium or plutonium is placed at the core of the hydrogen bomb to provide initial energy.
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