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Chapter 38: Problem 12

Why are fission fragments necessarily radioactive?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Fission fragments are necessarily radioactive because they are typically produced in an unstable state with excess energy or neutrons. They undergo radioactive decay, emitting radiation to move towards a more stable state.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Nuclear Fission

Nuclear fission is a reaction that occurs when the nucleus of an atom, typically a heavy one such as Uranium-235, is split into two smaller nuclei, known as fission fragments. When a neutron interacts with the nucleus of the Uranium atom, it gets absorbed, making the nucleus unstable. This results in the nucleus splitting into two smaller nuclei and a few spare neutrons.
02

Explain Radioactivity

Radioactivity refers to the process wherein unstable atomic nuclei lose energy (or decay) by emitting radiation. This process helps the nuclei to achieve a more stable form. The emitted radiation could be in the form of alpha, beta, or gamma radiation.
03

Relating Fission Fragments and Radioactivity

The two smaller nuclei, or fission fragments, produced from the nuclear fission process, are not typically stable. They have excess neutrons or energy that make them unstable. Therefore, these fission fragments undergo radioactive decay, emitting radiation in order to lose the excess energy or neutrons and reach a more stable state. Hence, fission fragments are necessarily radioactive.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Is \(^{238} \mathrm{U}\) fissionable? Is it fissile? Explain the distinction.

A buildup of fission products "poisons" a reactor, dropping the multiplication factor to \(0.992 .\) How long will it take the reactor power to decrease by half, assuming a generation time of \(0.10 \mathrm{s} ?\)

(a) Example 38.6 explains that the number of fission events in a chain reaction increases by a factor \(k\) with each generation. Show that the total number of fission events in \(n\) generations is \(N=\left(k^{n+1}-1\right) /(k-1) \cdot(b)\) In a typical nuclear explosive, \(k\) is about 1.5 and the generation time is about \(10 \mathrm{ns}\). Use the result from (a) to calculate the time for all the nuclei in a 10 -kg mass \(^{235} \mathrm{U}\) to fission. (Hint: Sum a series in part (a), and neglect 1 compared with \(N\) in part (b).)

You're assessing the safety of an airport bomb-detection system in which neutron activation of the stable nitrogen isotope \(\frac{15}{7} \mathrm{N}\) turns it into unstable \(^{\text {is }}\) N. The \(N\) - 16 decays by beta emission with 7.13-s half-life. How long after activation will the \(\mathrm{N}-16\) activity have dropped by a factor of 1 million?

How do (a) the number of nucleons and (b) the nuclear charge compare in the two nuclei \(_{17}^{35} \mathrm{Cl}\) and \(_{19}^{35} \mathrm{K} ?\)
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