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Chapter 21: Q50 E (page 1206)

Cite the conditions necessary for a nuclear chain reaction to take place. Explain how it can be controlled to produce energy, but not produce an explosion.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The fundamental requirement is that the number of neutrons produced by fission is equal to or surpassed by the number of neutrons absorbed by the rods and the number of neutrons leaving the surroundings. Control rods are used to control it.

Step by step solution

01

Step 1: Define Nuclear Chemistry

Nuclear chemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies radioactivity, nuclear processes, and atomic nuclei alterations such as nuclear transmutation and nuclear characteristics.

02

Explanation

The amount of neutrons produced by fission must equal or surpass the number of neutrons absorbed by the dual rods plus the number of neutrons that escape to the surroundings for a nuclear chain reaction to occur.

It can be regulated by utilizing control rods that absorb the extra neutrons produced, allowing the rate to be controlled while avoiding an explosion.

Therefore, the fundamental requirement is that the amount of neutrons generated by fission equals or surpasses the number of neutrons absorbed by the rods plus the number of neutrons escaping to the surroundings.

Control rods can be used to control it.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Question: Write a nuclear reaction for each step in the formation of \({}_{{\rm{82}}}^{{\rm{208}}}{\rm{Pb}}\) from \({}_{{\rm{90}}}^{{\rm{228}}}{\rm{Th}}\), which proceeds by a series of decay reactions involving the step-wise emission of \({\rm{\alpha , \alpha , \alpha , \alpha , \beta , \beta , \alpha }}\) particles, in that order.

If a hospital were storing radioisotopes, what is the minimum containment needed to protect against:

(a) cobalt\({\rm{ - 60}}\)(a strong γ emitter used for irradiation)

(b) molybdenum\({\rm{ - 99}}\)(a beta emitter used to produce technetium\({\rm{ - 99}}\)for imaging).

A sample of rock was found to contain \({\rm{8}}{\rm{.23 mg}}\) of rubidium\({\rm{ - 87}}\) and \({\rm{0}}{\rm{.47 mg}}\) of strontium\({\rm{ - 87}}\).

(a) Calculate the age of the rock if the half-life of the decay of rubidium by \({\rm{\beta }}\) emission is \({\rm{4}}{\rm{.7 \times 1}}{{\rm{0}}^{10}}y\).

(b) If some \({}_{{\rm{38}}}^{87}{\rm{Sr}}\) was initially present in the rock, would the rock be younger, older, or the same age as the age calculated in (a)? Explain your answer.

A\({}_{\rm{4}}^{\rm{7}}{\rm{Be}}\) atom (mass\({\rm{ = 7}}{\rm{.0169 amu}}\)) decays into a\({}_{\rm{3}}^{\rm{7}}{\rm{Li}}\) atom (mass\({\rm{ = 7}}{\rm{.0160 amu}}\)) by electron capture. How much energy (in millions of electron volts, \({\rm{MeV}}\)) is produced by this reaction?

Given specimens neon-24 and bismuth-211 (\(\left( {{t_{1/2}} = 3.38\;{\rm{min}}} \right)\)\(\left. {{t_{1/2}} = 2.14\;{\rm{min}}} \right)\)of equal mass, which one would have greater activity and why?
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