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 Form 4 Chemistry: Radioactivity online lessons

What is the difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion?

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Answer Text:
NUCLEAR FISSION AND NUCLEAR FUSION
-Radioactive disintegration/decay can be initiated in an industrial laboratory through two chemical methods:
a) nuclear fission
b) nuclear fusion.
a)Nuclear fission
-Nuclear fission is the process which a fast moving neutron bombards /hits /knocks a heavy unstable nuclide releasing lighter nuclide, three daughter
neutrons and a large quantity of energy.
-Nuclear fission is the basic chemistry behind nuclear bombs made in the nuclear reactors.
-The three daughter neutrons becomes again fast moving neutron bombarding / hitting /knocking a heavy unstable nuclide releasing lighter nuclides, three more daughter neutrons each and a larger quantity of energy setting of a chain reaction
b) Nuclear fusion Nuclear fusion is the process which smaller nuclides join together to form larger / heavier nuclides and releasing a large quantity of
energy.
-Very high temperatures and pressure is required to overcome the repulsion between the atoms.
-Nuclear fusion is the basic chemistry behind solar/sun radiation.
-Two daughter atoms/nuclides of Hydrogen fuse/join to form Helium atom/nuclide on the surface of the sun releasing large quantity of energy in form of heat and light.


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