Question

(i) Define nuclear fission.
(ii) Rewrite and complete the following nuclear reaction by filling in the atomic number of Ba and mass number of Kr.

`""_92^235U +""_0^1n → ""__^144 Ba +""_36^_ Kγ +3""_0^1 n +`Energy

Answer 1

(i) Nuclear fission
When a heavy nuclei (generally A > 170), is there, its binding energy per nucleon is very less to make the system stable, so it breaks into smaller fragements. This process is calles nuclear fission.

`""_92^235U +""_0^1n → ""_underline(x)^144 Ba +"" _36^underline(y) Kγ +3""_0^1 n +`Energy

`Z_(LHS) =Z_(RHS)`

92 = 36 + x +0

92 - 36 = x

56 = x

`A_(LHS) = A_(RHS)`

235+ 1 =144 + y + 3

236 - 147 = y

89= y

Now `""_92^235U +""_0^1n → ""_56^144 Ba +"" _36^89Kγ +3""_0^1 n +`Energy