Question

The easiest fusion reaction to initiate is ²/₁H + ³/₁H → ⁴/₂He + ¹/₀n Calculate the energy released, in kJ, per nucleus of ⁴₂He produced. The masses of the relevant particles are as follows (1 amu = 1.66×10⁻²⁷ kg ) The atomic masses are ²/₁H,2.01410; u ³/₁H,3.01605u; ⁴/₂He, 4.00260u. The masses of the electron and neutron are 5.4858 x 10⁻⁴ u and 1.00866u, respectively.

Answer 1

Energy released per nucleus from Deuterium-Tritium fusion is calculated using the mass difference between reactants and products, and Einstein's equation E=mc², expressed in kJ.

The energy released during the easiest fusion reaction to initiate, which is Deuterium-Tritium fusion

(²₁H + ³₁H → ⁴₂He + ¹₀n), can be calculated using the mass difference between the reactants and products and converting it to energy using Einstein's equation E=mc². The atomic masses given for the isotopes are: ²₁H at 2.01410 u, ³₁H at 3.01605 u, ⁴₂He at 4.00260 u, and the neutron at 1.00866 u. Using the formula Δm = (mass of reactants) - (mass of products), and converting amu to kilograms (Δm×1.66×10⁻²⁷ kg), we can calculate the energy per reaction. Finally, we multiply by Avogadro's number to find the energy per mole and convert MeV to kJ to get the energy per nucleus in kJ.