Mass Defect, Binding Energy,

Fission and Fusion

Edward A. Mottel
Department of Chemistry
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
 Nuclear Energy
 Mass Defect
 Binding Energy
 Nuclear Fission
 Nuclear Fusion
 Comparisons of various forms of energy

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 Mass Defect
 The nucleus
• is composed of protons and neutrons
• the actual mass is less than the mass of
the separate particles.
 The "missing" mass is in the form of
energy holding the nucleus together.

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 Uranium-238
The nuclear mass nucleons
of uranium-238 is (protons & neutrons)
238.0003 amu
238U
92

atomic number A proton is 1.00728 amu

(protons) A neutron is 1.00867 amu

What mass is expected

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for the nucleus of 238U?
 Uranium-238

92 protons (92)(1.00728) = 92.6698

146 neutrons (146)(1.00867) = 147.2658
predicted mass = 239.9356
actual mass = 238.0003
mass defect = 1.9353 amu

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 Masses of Atoms
The nuclear mass of 238U is 238.0003

Why does the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics

list the mass of uranium238 as 238.0508?

(92)(0.0005488) + 238.0003 = 238.0508

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 Binding Energy
 The mass defect indicates the total
energy involved in holding the nucleus
together.
 To determine the stability of the
nucleus, the binding energy per nuclear
particle is a better measure.

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 Binding Energy of 238U

predicted mass actual mass

239.9356 238.0003

1.9353 amu
DE = Dmc2 = 931.5 MeV/amu

What is the binding energy per nucleon of 238U?

 Binding Energy of 238U

Binding energy (1.9353 amu)(931.5 MeV/amu)

per nucleon =
238 nucleons

= 7.57 MeV

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 Binding Energy
62Ni

The nuclei with the greatest

binding energy per nucleon
are the most stable.

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 Nuclear Fission
 Fissionablematerials
 Daughter products
 Energy release
 Nuclear chain reactions
 Nuclear reactors
• Control rods
• Breeder reactor

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 Nuclear Fission
 Nuclear process in which the nucleus of
the atom breaks into two large
fragments.
 Fissionable materials
• undergo spontaneous fission or
• can be converted into a fissionable isotope
 Neutron capture can result in daughter
products which are more fissionable.

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 Fissionable Materials
Fissionable Non-Fissionable
235U 238U

239Pu 207Pb

12C

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 Fissionable Materials

Natural abundance:
235U = 0.7%

238U = 99.3%

What is the percentage of 235U

in a commercial sample of UO2?
235U @ 0.0%

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 Fission Daughter Products
Spontaneous fission is a statistical process
resulting in several different daughter isotopes.

235U + 1n  236U 140Ba + 94Kr + 2 1n + energy

141Ba + 92Kr + 3 1n + energy
137Te + 97Zr + 2 1n + energy
144Cs + 90Rb + 2 1n + energy
146La + 87Br + 3 1n + energy

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction
 In the previous disintegration process
there are an average of 2.3 neutrons
generated per disintegration.
 If one neutron is captured for each
nuclear disintegration that occurs, the
reaction is self-sustaining.

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

fissionable
material

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Nuclear Chain Reaction

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 Control Rods
Control rods regulate the rate of reaction
by controlling the neutron flux.

What kind of material would be used

as a control rod?

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 Thermal Neutron Capture Cross-Section

2H 0.00051  0.00001 b
10B 0.5  0.2 b
12C 0.0034  0.0003 b
113Cd 20000  300 b
235U 680  2 b
238U 2.720  0.025 b
Which of these elements would limit
excess neutrons?
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 Nuclear Reactor

fissionable fission heat

material + neutron g rays, heat turbine electricity
+ exchanger
neutrons

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 Nuclear Reactor

fissionable fission heat

material + neutron g rays, heat turbine electricity
+ exchanger
neutrons

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 Breeder Reactor
 Converts non-fissionable material into
fissionable material

235U + 1n  236U 2.3 1n + various daughter

products
b¯ b¯
238U + 1n  239U  239Np  239Pu

Non-fissionable Fissionable

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 Nuclear Fusion
 Process by which lighter nuclei combine
to form heavier nuclei.

4 1H + 2 e–  4He2+
Dm = 0.02758 g·mol–1

 The energy source of stars.

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 Nuclear Mechanisms
proton-proton mechanism

( 1H + 1H  2H + b+ ) x2
( 2H + 1H  3He + g ) x2
3He + 3He  4He + 2 1H

( b+ + e–  2 g ) x2

2 e– + 46 1H + 2 3He  4He + 2 3He + 6 g + 2 1H

What’s the overall net nuclear reaction?

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 Nuclear Mechanisms
carbon cycle mechanism
12C + 1H  13N + g
13N  13C + b+
13C + 1H  14N + g
14N + 1H  15O + g
15O  15N + b+
15N + 1H  12C + 4He

( b + + e–  2 g ) x2

2 e– + 4 1H  4He + 7 g

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 Reaction Conditions
 For two nuclei to react, they must be moving
at high velocities to overcome the coulombic
repulsion of two positive charges.
 Typical thermal energies of @107 K in a star.

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 Laboratory Attempts
 Laser Fusion
• 3H + 2H  4He + 1H
• Frozen sample heated to 106 K by laser
 Cold Fusion
• Room temperature process involving
deuterium dissolved in a metal matrix
• 2H + 2H  4He + g

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 Energy Comparison
Typical Reaction Energy Released

per mole per gram

Combustion C + O2  products 393 kJ 33 kJ

235U + 1n  products 1.7 x 1010 7.1 x 107
Fission
9 8
Fusion 4 1H  products 2.4 x 10 5.9 x 10

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 On Line File of Nuclide Data

http://necs01.dne.bnl.gov/CoN/

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