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NUCLEAR Physics:

CHAPTER : TWO
CONSTITUENT OF NUCLEUS:

Protons and neutrons together contained inside the nucleus are called
nucleons. The mass and charge of a proton are given below:
Mass of Proton (𝑴𝑷 ) = 𝟏. 𝟔𝟕𝟐𝟒𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟐𝟕 𝑲𝒈
Charge of Proton(e) = 𝟏. 𝟔𝟕𝒙 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟗 𝑪
The number of proton contained in nucleus is denoted by Z , neutron has
no charge and the mass of the neutron is given by
𝑴𝒏 = 𝟏. 𝟔𝟕𝟒𝟕𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟐𝟕 𝒌𝒈
∴ 𝒎𝒑 ≈ 𝒎𝒏
Atomic Number( Z):

The number of protons in nucleus determine its charge. This number of proton is called
its atomic number which is equal to the number of electron.
Atomic Mass Number ( A):
The total number of protons and neutrons present in a nucleus of an atom is called
mass number or atomic mass of an atom.
ie A = Z + N
where, Z = atomic number
N = number of Neutrons
Then atom is represented by 𝒁𝑿𝑨 , where X = symbol of atom.
Representation of a Nucleus of an Atom:

The nucleus of an atom is represented symbolically as 𝑍𝑋 𝐴 ,

where Z = atomic number
X = name of the element
A = atomic mass number
For example,
i) Hydrogen nucleus, 1𝐻1
ii) Helium nucleus , 2𝐻𝑒 4
iii) Oxygen nucleus, 8𝑂16
235 (
iv) uranium nucleus 92𝑈 for an isotope).
Properties of Nucleus:

i) Nuclear size:
According to the Rutherford 𝜶 − 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 experiment, the radius of an atomic nucleus is of the
order of 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟒 to 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 𝒎. The empirical formula for the nuclear radius is given by
𝟏
𝑹 = 𝑹𝟎 𝑨 𝟑

where 𝑹𝟎 is a constant whose value is 𝟏. 𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 𝒎.

𝟏
∴ 𝑹 = 𝟏. 𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 𝑨 𝟑 m.
For uranium nucleus (𝑼𝟐𝟑𝟖 )
Here , A = 238
𝟏
Thus 𝑹 = 𝟏. 𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 x (𝟐𝟑𝟖) 𝟑 = 𝟖. 𝟖𝟎 𝒙 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 𝒎.
ii) Nuclear Mass:

Atomic nucleus contain Z- protons and N- neutrons. Thus mass of the nucleus is equal to the sum of
the masses of neutrons and protons.
∴ Nuclear mass = 𝒁𝑴𝒑 + 𝑵𝑴𝒏
Where, 𝑴𝒑 = mass of proton
𝑴𝒏 = mass of neutron
iii) Nuclear Charge:
Since, nucleus contains neutrons and protons and neutrons are charge less. The charge of the nucleus
is due to the is due to the protons present in it. Each protons has a +𝒗𝒆 charge of magnitude
𝟏. 𝟔𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟗 𝑪. Thus charge of atomic nucleus of atomic number Z possess the nuclear charge +𝒁𝒆 .
 iv) Nuclear Density(𝝆):

It is defined as the ratio of nuclear mass to the nuclear 𝑨𝒙𝟏.𝟔𝟕𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟐𝟕

volume. Nuclear density = 𝟒 𝟑
𝝅 𝟏.𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 𝑨
𝒏𝒖𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝟑
Ie nuclear density (𝝆) =
𝒏𝒖𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 = 𝟐. 𝟒𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟏𝟕 𝒌𝒈/𝒎𝟑
Let A be the mass number of an atom by neglecting the
mass of orbital electron, This shows that density of nucleus is
very high.
mass of nucleus = A amu = A 𝟏. 𝟔𝟔𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟐𝟕 𝒌𝒈
𝟒
volume of nucleus (V) = 𝝅𝑹𝟑
𝟑
𝟒 𝟏
= 𝝅(𝟏. 𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 𝑨 𝟑 )3
𝟑
𝟒
= 𝝅(𝟏. 𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 )3 A
𝟑
Isotopes:

𝐻1

𝑼𝟐𝟑𝟓 𝑼𝟐𝟑𝟖
𝟗𝟐 𝟗𝟐

𝑪𝒍 𝟑𝟓 𝑪𝒍 𝟑𝟔
𝟏𝟕 𝟏𝟕
Isobars :

Two or more nuclei having same atomic mass number but different atomic numbers are called Isobar. Isobars
are formed from two or more elements.
For example, 6𝑪𝟏𝟒 , 𝟕𝑵𝟏𝟒 are Isobars of carbon and nitrogen. Similarly 𝟏𝟗𝑲𝟒𝟎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝟐𝟎𝑪𝒂𝟒𝟎 are the isobars of
potassium and calcium. The chemical properties of isobars are different.

Isotones:
Two or more nuclei having same number of neutrons are called Isotones.
For example, 12𝑀𝑔24 𝑎𝑛𝑑 11𝑁𝑎23 are the Isotones of magnesium and sodium. Similarly, 17𝐶𝑙 37 𝑎𝑛𝑑 19𝐾 39
are the Isotones of chlorine and potassium.
Einstein’s Mass Energy Relation:

According to this, if an object gains We have, C= 3𝑥108 m/s

energy it gains mass. If it loses energy it Δm = 2
Δ𝐸
𝑐
loses mass.
Note: In nuclear physics, energy is usually
Therefore, only a single mass energy exposed in electron volt.
conservation law is considered. We have,
The change in energy Δ𝐸 is linked to 1eV = 1.6𝑥10−19 𝐽
change of mass Δ𝑚, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 For larger unit,
𝚫𝑬 = 𝚫𝒎 𝒄𝟐 1 MeV = 106 𝑒𝑉
Where C= velocity of light, we have, ∴1 MeV = 1.6 x𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟑 𝑱
Continued:

From the mass velocity relation, we know that 1 𝑣2

E = 𝑚0 𝑐 2 (1+ ), neglecting the terms
𝑚0 2 𝐶2
𝑚= 𝑣2 containing higher power of
𝑣
.
1− 2 𝑐
𝑐
1
Therefore equation 𝐸 = 𝑚𝑐 2 can be written as ∴ 𝐸 = 𝑚0𝑐 2 + 𝑚0𝑣 2
2
𝑚0 = Rest mass energy + KE of object
E= 𝑣2 𝑐2
1− 2
𝑐 For v= 0( mass at rest), we get,
1
2 𝑣2 − 𝑬 = 𝒎𝟎𝒄𝟐 …………..(i)
= 𝑚0𝑐 (1 − ) 2
𝐶2
Using binomial expression 1 + 𝑥 𝑛 = 1 + 𝑛𝑥 + This shows that energy of stationary particle is not zero,
… … . , we can write, rather it has energy in the form of mass , which we call
rest mass energy. This discovery is popularly known as
Einstein’s mass energy relation.
Atomic mass unit(amu):

Mass is usually measured in unified atomic mass unit(u).

𝟏 th
The atomic mass unit is defined as the( ) of the mass of carbon atom ( 6C12). We know
𝟏𝟐
number of molecules in 1 mole of carbon is 𝟔. 𝟎𝟐𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟑 and
mass of 1 mole of carbon is 12 gm.
So mass of 𝟔. 𝟎𝟐𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒃𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎 = 𝟏𝟐𝒈𝒎
𝟏𝟐
mass of 1 carbon atom = 𝒈𝒎
𝟔.𝟎𝟐𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟑
By the definition of atomic mass unit (u),
Continued:

𝟏
1U= 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝟏 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒃𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎
𝟏𝟐
𝟏 𝟏𝟐
= 𝒙 gm
𝟏𝟐 𝟔.𝟎𝟐𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟑
𝟏 𝟏𝟐
= 𝒙 kg
𝟏𝟐 𝟔.𝟎𝟐𝟑𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟔

∴ 𝟏𝑼 = 𝟏. 𝟔𝟔𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟐𝟕 𝒌𝒈
Relation between the atomic
mass unit(u) & MeV
We have,
E = m𝑐 2
So , energy related to the mass 1 u is
E = 1.66𝑥10−27 3𝑥108 2 J
2
1.66𝑥10−27 3𝑥10 8
= MeV {∴1 MeV = 1.6 x𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟑 𝑱}
1.6𝑥10−13
= 931 MeV
∴ 1U = 931 MeV
Mass Defect(𝚫𝐦):

The mass defect is defined as the difference between the rest mass of nucleus and the mass of the constituent nucleons of
the nucleus;
So, mass defect(𝚫𝐦) = 𝐙𝐦𝐩 + 𝐍𝐦𝒏 − 𝐌 … … … . .(i)
Where, M = rest mass of nucleus.
Binding Energy( BE):
From the Einstein’s mass energy relation, the binding energy is expressed as,
B.E = 𝚫𝐦 𝐱 𝐜 𝟐
= [(𝐙𝐦𝐩 + 𝐍𝐦𝐧 )- M ] 𝐜 𝟐
This energy is used to bind the nucleons of the nucleus into a small space of nucleus and is called binding energy of
nucleus.
The magnitude of the binding energy of a nucleus gives the stability of the nucleus. The greater the BE , more the stable
nucleus.
Packing Faction:

Packing faction of a nucleus in an atom is defined as

the mass defect per nucleon of that nucleus. It is
also called the atomic packing faction.
𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕(𝚫𝒎)
Packing faction ( f ) =
𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝑨

𝚫𝒎
∴ f =
𝑨
Example:

Suppose, a nucleus has BE 6.6 MeV

and binds 3 neutrons and 3 protons
P
inside the nucleus . When energy of 6.6 MeV P N
P
P
N P
6.6 MeV is applied to the nucleus P N N
from external success the nucleus N N
will be disintegrated into 3 protons
and 3 neutrons.
Binding Energy Per Nucleon:

It is defined as the ratio of the binding energy of the nucleus to the to

the number of nucleons present in it. Thus B.E per nucleon( BE) is given
by
𝐵𝐸
BE =
𝐴
The binding energy per nucleons gives the relative stability of different
nuclides.
Binding energy Curve:

The curve obtained by plotting the B.E

per nucleon ( B.E) against the mass
number (A) is called binding energy
curve. o

The binding energy per nucleon of light

elements like1𝐻1 , 1𝐻 2 , 1𝐻 3 are very low .
A few peaks are observed in nuclei such
as 2𝐻𝑒 4 , 6𝐶 12 , 8𝑂16 etc having low value
of A.
The binding curve shows the
following:

56
20 𝐹𝑒 )



Nuclear Reaction:

A general nuclear reaction is represented by

𝒂+𝑩=𝑪+𝒅
This indicates the projectile ‘a’ strikes the target B to yield the product C and outgoing
particle ‘d’. The projectile may be 𝜶 − 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆 ( 𝟐𝑯𝒆𝟒 ) ,proton 𝟏𝑯𝟏 , neutron (𝟎𝑯𝟏 ),
deuterons (𝟏𝑯𝟐 ) and 𝜸 − 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒕𝒄.
Example:
1. A nuclear reaction with a proton as a projectile
𝑳𝒊𝟕 + 𝑯𝟏 𝑯𝒆𝟒 + 𝑯𝒆𝟒
𝟑 𝟏 𝟐 𝟐
 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆𝒅:

1. A nuclear reaction with a neutron as projectile,

𝟔
𝟑𝑳𝒊 + 𝟎𝑯𝟏 𝟑
𝟏𝑯 + 𝟐𝑯𝒆𝟒
2. A nuclear reaction with 𝜸 − 𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 projectile
𝟐 𝟏 + 𝟎𝑯𝟏
𝟏𝑯 +𝜸 𝟏𝑯

Let 𝑴𝒙 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒂 𝒂𝒓𝒆 the masses of the reactants and 𝑴𝒀 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒃 are the masses of the product. Then from the
conservation of mass
𝑴𝒙 + 𝑴 𝒂 = 𝑴 𝒚 + 𝑴 𝒃 + 𝑸

𝑸 = 𝑴𝒙 + 𝑴𝒂 − 𝑴𝒚 + 𝑴𝒃

Reactant Product
∴ Q = total mass of reactant −𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕
Energy released in a nuclear reaction:

The nuclear reaction can also be represented as

𝑋+𝑎 =𝑌+𝑏+𝑄
Where Q is the energy released or absorbed in a nuclear reaction.
I. If Q = +𝑣𝑒 , the energy is released and such reactions are called
exothermic reactions.
II. If Q = −𝑣𝑒 , the energy is absorbed and such reactions are called
endothermic reactions.
Some Numerical:

𝟒 𝟏𝟒 𝟏𝟕 𝟏
𝟐𝑯𝒆 + 𝟕𝑵 𝟖𝑶 + 𝟏𝑯 +𝑸
𝟒
𝟐𝑯𝒆 𝟒. 𝟎𝟎𝟑𝟖𝟕 𝒂𝒎𝒖
𝟏𝟒
𝟕𝑵 𝟏𝟒. 𝟎𝟎𝟕𝟓𝟑 𝒂𝒎𝒖
𝑶 𝟏𝟕 𝟏𝟕. 𝟎𝟎𝟒𝟓𝟎 𝒂𝒎𝒖
𝟖

𝑯 𝟏 𝟏. 𝟎𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟒 𝒂𝒎𝒖
𝟏
Solution:

We have,
Q = Mass of (𝟐𝑯𝒆𝟒 + 𝟕𝑵𝟏𝟒 ) – Mass of (𝟖𝑶𝟏𝟕 + 𝟏𝑯𝟏 )
= (4.00387 + 14.00753) − 𝟏𝟕. 𝟎𝟎𝟒𝟓𝟎 + 𝟏. 𝟎𝟎𝟖𝟏𝟒
= −𝟎. 𝟎𝟎𝟏𝟐𝟒 𝒂𝒎𝒖
= −𝟎. 𝟎𝟎𝟏𝟐𝟒 x 931 MeV
= −𝟏. 𝟏𝟓𝟒𝟒𝟒𝟒 MeV
∴ So the reaction is endothermic and it is not exothermic.
Q) Calculate the B.E per nucleon for
𝟐𝑯𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝟐𝑯𝒆 .
𝟒 𝟑
Given, mass of 1𝐻1 = 1.00783𝑈 ∴ 𝑩. 𝑬 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟐𝟗𝟏𝟑x 𝟗𝟑𝟏 𝑴𝒆𝑽
𝐻1
mass of 0 = 1.00807𝑈 𝐵𝐸
Lastly, 𝐵𝐸 =
𝐴
mass of 2𝐻𝑒 4 = 4.00387 𝑈
𝟎.𝟎𝟐𝟗𝟏𝟑x 𝟗𝟑𝟏
mass 2𝐻𝑒 3 = 3.01604 𝑈 = 4
𝟒 = 6.78 MeV/ nucleons.
Solution: For 𝟐𝑯𝒆 :
𝟑
number of proton(Z) = 2 For 𝟐𝑯𝒆
number of neutron( N) = 2 number of proton(Z) = 2
We have, number of neutron( N) = 1
2𝑥1.00783+1.000807 −3.01604 𝑥931
Mass defect = 𝑍𝑀𝑝 + 𝑁𝑀𝑛 − 𝑀 𝐵𝐸 = 3
= 2𝑥1.00807 + 2𝑥1.00783 − 4.00387 7.69𝑥10−3 𝑥931
𝐵𝐸 = 3
= 0.02913 𝑈
= 2.38MeV/ nucleons.
Q) A typical fission reaction is
𝟐𝟑𝟓 + 𝒏𝟏 𝟏𝟒𝟖 + 𝑩𝒓𝟖𝟓 + 𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒔
𝟗𝟐𝑼 𝟎 𝟓𝟕𝑳𝒂 𝟑𝟓
How many neutrons are released in this reaction?

Solution:
Mass number of reactant = 233+1 = 236
Mass of the reactant = 148 + 85 = 233
∴ mass defect ( Δ𝑚) = 236 − 233 = 3
235 1 148 85 1
92 𝑈 + 0 𝑛 57 𝐿𝑎 + 35 𝐵𝑟 + 3 𝑂 𝑛
Therefore , three neutrons are produced in this reaction.
Q4): Calculate in MeV the energy liberated
when a helium nucleus 𝟐𝑯𝒆𝟒 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅.
i) By the fusion two neutrons and two protons. Solution: a)Here,
ii) By the fusion two deuterium nucleus(1𝐻 2 ). 21𝐻1 + 2 0𝑛1 2𝐻𝑒
4

Given: Mass defect(Δ𝑚) = 2 1.00759 + 1.00899 − 4.000277

mass of neutrons =1.00899𝑈 = 0.03039𝑢
mass of proton = 1.00759 U B.E = 0.03039x931 MeV= 28.29 MeV,
mass of 1𝐻 2 = 2.01419 U b) Here, 1𝐻 2 + 1𝐻 2 2𝐻𝑒
4

mass of 2𝐻𝑒 4 = 4.000277𝑈 Mass defect(Δ𝑚) = 2𝑥2.01419− 4.000277 𝑢

1U = 931 MeV = 0.02561𝑥931 𝑀𝑒𝑉
BE = 23.84 MeV.
Nuclear Fission:

The phenomenon of splitting of a heavy nucleus due to bombardment into two

(approximately) equal parts with the emission of large amount of energy is called
nuclear fission.
Example: when an uranium(𝟗𝟐𝑼𝟐𝟑𝟓 ) is bombarded with a neutron, the uranium
absorbs the neutron to form the unstable isotopes of uranium (𝟗𝟐𝑼𝟐𝟑𝟔 ). This unstable
isotope again splits up into barium and krypton nuclei with three more neutrons.
𝟐𝟑𝟓 + 𝒏𝟏 𝟐𝟑𝟔 𝟏𝟒𝟏 + 𝑲𝒓𝟗𝟐 + 𝟑 𝒏𝟏 + 𝑸
𝟗𝟐𝑼 𝟎 𝟗𝟐𝑼 𝟓𝟔𝑩𝒂 𝟑𝟔 𝟎

Where, Q = energy released in the nuclear fission.

Energy Released in Nuclear Fission of
Uranium:
A huge amount of energy is produced in nuclear fission reaction because the mass of the products nucleus is less than
the mass of reactant nuclei.
The nuclear fission of uranium reaction is
𝟐𝟑𝟓
𝟗𝟐𝑼 + 𝟎𝒏𝟏 𝟗𝟐𝑼
𝟐𝟑𝟔
𝟓𝟔𝑩𝒂
𝟏𝟒𝟏
+ 𝟑𝟔𝑲𝒓𝟗𝟐 + 𝟑 𝟎𝒏𝟏 + 𝑸.
In order to find out the energy released in the fission, the initial and final mass after reaction are found as,
Initial mass, for - 𝟗𝟐𝑼𝟐𝟑𝟓 = 235.043933𝑎𝑚𝑢 Final mass for - 𝟓𝟔𝑩𝒂𝟏𝟒𝟏 = 91.8973u
- 0𝑛1 = 1.008665amu -𝟑𝟔𝑲𝒓𝟗𝟐 = 91.8973u
- 𝟑 𝟎𝒏𝟏 = 3.0261 𝑢
Total initial mass = 236.05298 𝑢 Total final mass = 235.8373 u
So, difference in mass ( Δ𝑚) = (236.05298 - 235.8373)u = 0.2153 𝑢
So energy released in fission = 0.2153 𝑥931 𝑀𝑒𝑉 ≈ = 200 𝑀𝑒𝑉.
Energy released by 1kg of uranium atom:

We know, ∴W = 5.1129 𝑥1026 𝑥 1.6𝑥 10−13 𝐽

𝑁𝐴 5.1129 𝑥1026 𝑥 1.6𝑥 10−13
no. of atoms in 1 gm of mole of nucleus = =
𝐴 3.6𝑥106
𝑁𝐴
“ “ “ 1 kg “ “ = x1000 = 2.26𝑥107 𝐾𝑊ℎ.
𝐴
Since, Therefore during nuclear fission, 1 kg of uranium
atom gives energy equal to 2.26𝑥107 𝐾𝑤ℎ.
1 atom of uranium released 200 MeV of energy
𝑁𝐴
So energy released by 1kg of uranium (W) = x1000x200
𝐴
6.023𝑥1023 𝑥1000𝑥200
=
235

∴ W = 5.1129 𝑥1026 𝑀𝑒𝑉

Nuclear Fusion Reaction:

The nuclear reaction in which two or more light nuclei combine to form a heavy nucleus by
releasing a tremendous amount of energy is called is called nuclear fusion reaction.
Example:
The energy released in the sun or star is due to the nuclear fusion reaction in which
four hydrogen nuclei combine to form a helium nucleus and two positrons.
I.e.
4 1𝐻 1 2 𝐻𝑒 4 + 2 𝑒 0 + 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦( Q).
1
Energy released in nuclear fusion
reaction:
Consider the nuclear fusion reaction as Energy released(Q) = 0.628857 x 931 MeV = 26.7 MeV
26.7
4 1𝐻 1 4 0
2𝐻𝑒 + 2 1𝑒 +Q Energy released per hydrogen atom =
4
= 6.675 𝑀𝑒𝑉

Initial mass = 4x 1.00814 u = 4.03256 u 1kg of hydrogen contains =

6.02𝑥1023 𝑥1000
𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑚
1
Final mass, for 2𝐻𝑒 4 = 4.0026u Total energy released due to fusion of 1 kg of hydrogen
2 1𝑒 0 = 0.0011 u = 6.02𝑥1023 𝑥1000 x 6.675 𝑀𝑒𝑉
Total final mass = 4.0037 u = 40.1835 x 1026 𝑀𝑒𝑉
Hence lost mass = 4.03256 - 4.0037 Note: 1 kg of uranium during fission is 5.129x1026 𝑀𝑒𝑉 and
that of 1 kg of hydrogen during fusion is 40.1825x1026 𝑀𝑒𝑉.
= 0.628857 u Thus nearly 8 times more energy is released during the fusion
of 1 kg of hydrogen than during the fission of 1 kg of uranium.
Chain reaction:

A chain reaction is a self propagation process in which the number of neutrons go on multiplying rapidly till the
whole fission material is disintegrated by the releasing the tremendous amount of energy in very short time
interval.
Let us take an example of nuclear fission of nuclear fission of 92𝑈 235 .
235 + 0𝑛1 141 + 36𝐾𝑟 92 + 200 𝑀𝑒𝑉
92𝑈 56𝐵𝑎

This shows the fission of each 92𝑈 235 nucleus is giving the 200 MeV of energy along with three neutrons. These
released neutrons are called secondary neutrons. These secondary neutrons are highly energetic and can cause
the fission of other uranium nuclei. Thus , one started, the fission reaction can propagate itself releasing a large
amount of energy in a very short interval of time. This is an example of chain reaction.
The figure below shows that2 secondary neutrons are
produced in each fission and each secondary neutrons
cause the fission on a different nucleus.

Fig: Chain reaction due to fission of u-235

Conditions required for the Nuclear Fission:

i) Fission material should be larger than a certain minimum mass.

A chain reaction dies automatically. If the mass of the fissile is less than certain
minimum mass called the critical mass. If the fissile materials is less than critical
mass, the neutrons are unstable to strike the material. Thus neutrons will escape
and nuclear fission can not take place. However , if the mass of the fissile material
exceeds the critical mass, the reaction once stared will accelerated within a very
shot time and tremendous amount of energy will be released causing a violent
explosion.
ii) The fast neutrons produced in a nuclear
reaction should be converted into slow
neutron:
The nuclear fission is not possible by the fast neutrons. But it is possible,
only by a slow neutrons. The fast neutrons move very fast speed, thus, they
have very small change of interaction and may just travel the mass without
interacting with the fissile materials.
The natural uranium consists of 99.3% 𝟗𝟐𝑼𝟐𝟑𝟖 and 0.7% of 92𝑼𝟐𝟑𝟓 . However
𝑼 𝟐𝟑𝟖 is not suitable for chain reaction as it is can undergoes fission only
𝟗𝟐
with just fast neutrons of energy 1 MeV or more. But 𝟗𝟐𝑼𝟐𝟑𝟓 under goes
fission by slow neutrons. Thus chain reaction is not possible in natural
uranium.
Multiplication Factor:
The ratio of secondary neutrons produced to the initial number of neutrons is called
multiplication factor. It is denoted by ‘K’.
𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒇𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
𝒌=
𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒇 𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

If k = 1, the reaction is steady or critical

If k > 1, the reaction is building up or super critical
If k < 1, the reaction is dying down or sub- critical.
Prepared by:

DURGA PRASAD SUBEDI

9856039344
Shree Shitaladevi Community
secondary school.
[email protected]
See you tomorrow