Neutron

uranium 235 or plutonium 239. When a neutron with energy hits uranium 235, it becomes unstable and splits into two smaller nuclei such as barium and krypton whilst also releasing kinetic energy in the form of heat and also two or three neutrons that collide again with other atoms causing a chain reaction. This can be seen by the nuclear fission equation of uranium 235 . This chain reaction is controlled by the ‘control rods’ in the reactor vessel that absorb the neutrons. Before uranium 235…

Today we might know an atom being the smallest piece of an element that represent an element, but you might not know the whole story. It all being in 1803, when a curious guy, known as John Dalton, who proposed an “atomic theory” with spherical solid atoms based upon measurable properties of mass. Later on Dalton introduced his belief that atoms of different elements could be universally distinguished based on their varying atomic weights. John Dalton's research not only changed the face of…

chemistry into this chapter. He brings up the Bohr model, he states atoms being similar to the solar system. The way electrons go around the nucleus is the same way planets orbit. Elements have the ability to be present even with a varying number of neutrons. This is to be called isotopes. His point with this is that these isotopes are very balanced while others may be not so balanced. This will then be called radioactivity. Every isotope that becomes radioactive eventually decays. So to…

At the end of the nineteenth century, scientists believed that all matter was composed of atoms. However, an English physicist named J.J. Thomson (1856-1940) discovered an even smaller particle that he called corpuscles, although we know them as electrons today. Thomson discovered that electrons are negatively charged, that they are much smaller and have less mass than atoms, and that they are uniformly present in many different types of substances. With this new discovery, the question of a…

15 seconds of the power going out but it took 60 seconds for the emergency generator to reach full power instead. At that point, the reactor overheated and exploded releasing radioactive decay. This nuclear meltdown was stopped by pouring lots of neutron absorbent into the reactor which stopped the fire and also the water under the reactor was drained to prevent further explosions from…

The Physics of PET Scans All elements are composed of atoms, which are composed of small particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. The nucleus of an atom is made of a tightly packed collection of protons and neutrons. You would think that with positively charged protons being packed so closely together the nucleus would fall apart, however this is not the case. There is an attractive force called the “nuclear force” which is able to overcome the repulsive force of the adjacent…

This reactor works by the reaction of the fissile material. The fissile material is normally uranium-235 but others can be used. Each reaction that occurs emits neutrons that can induce more reactions. In order to keep this exponential process from quickly getting out of hand, control rods are inserted into the reactor core that absorb neutrons without causing a fission reaction. By controlling these rods and inserting them into the area where the fission reaction is taking place, the reaction…

that could possibly cause cancer. At which human health is more important than energy.Another problem fission suffers is the fact that disposing the waste is a challenge and if not done properly it can be hazardous to the people. The high energy neutrons that are produced by the fission reactions can make non radioactive substances that would be in the reactor and make them…

element which has highly reactivity chemically. It’s properties are mostly intermediate between aand similar to those of its group neighbors calcium and barium. When it is exposed to air, the metal forms a dark oxide layer. Strontium has 38 protons, 50 neutrons, and 38 electrons. The electron configuration of Strontium is 1s^(2) 2s^(2) 2p^(6) 3s^(2) 3p^(6) 3d^(10) 4s^(2) 4p^(6) 5s^(2) or [Kr] 5s^(2). Strontium has an mass number of 87. Strontium can be a naturally element that can be found in…

Contribution to the modern atomic theory the modern atomic theory states that most of an atom is empty space, an atom consists of a small, dense nucleus surrounded by electrons, atoms contain subatomic particles, and the nucleus contains only protons and neutrons. Rutherford's ideas are present all throughout today's atomic model. The scientist that told us “Most of an atom is empty space” was Rutherford. He was also the one who suggested that electrons move in clouds. Though it being somewhat…