what reaction is involved in nuclear weapons? how can the product be predicted?

Question

Any webistes recommended of reaction pics.

Answer 1

Most nuclear weapons rely on fission (the breaking down of a nucleus into smaller nuclei). This breakdown releases the energy that would otherwise go into holding the nucleus together. That's not much energy for one nucleus, but breaking a few nuclei releases stray particles that bump into other nuclei and break them -- which releases more energy, and more stray particles which bump into still more nuclei, and so on. That's a chain reaction. This reaction isn't limited to weapons; it also occurs in peaceful uses of nuclear technology such as reactors. A nuclear weapon simply releases all of the available energy all at once.
As to predicting the reaction products, that's largely a function of what fissionable material you start with. Nuclear physicists (which I am not) know what materials result from the nuclear decay of specific radioactive elements. How you achieve fission is also a factor; a nucleus will break differently when hit by a fast neutron than it will when hit by a gamma ray. Fusion is much simpler; if you start with hydrogen, the result is always helium.

Answer 2

Depends on the weapon, but it can be either fission or fusion. A fission bomb splits the nuclei into smaller elements. As a byproduct a small amount of energy is released, and free neutrons are released. These neutrons then go on to split further uranium or plutonium atoms, continuing in what is known as a cascade. The fission reaction is usually started by the implossion technique; using a shell of high-explosive to compress the material into a super-critical state, or the gun technique; which fires a small pellete of the fissiable material into a larger mass.

A fussion bomb also uses uranium or plutonium but also deuterium and tritium (H^2 and H^3 respectively). The process starts as a standard fission reaction, but the immense heat generated cause the heavy hydrogen to fuse into heavier elements. The fusing of hydrogen releases energy, more so then an equavalent fission reaction.

Answer 3

Yes, Its Nuclear fission.
The splitting of a heavier atom like tht of U-235 into number of fragments of much smaller mass, by suitable bombardment with sub-atomic particles with liberation of huge amount of energy is called nuclear fission.Energy is calculated from Einstein's equation E=mc^2 and usually in MeVs.The reaction in U-235 is

U(92,235) +n(0,1) ----->Ba(56,140) +Kr(36,93) +3n(0,1)+ huge amt of energy
Other reactions...
U(92,235) +n(0,1) ----->Xe(54,144) +Sr(38,90) +2n(0,1)+ huge amt of energy
U(92,235) +n(0,1) ----->Cs(55,144) +Rb(37,90) +2n(0,1)+ huge amt of energy

{Here in brackets the 1st number represents atomic number and the 2nd represent mass number.}

Isotopes used for a nuclear weapon are those which have a high probability of fission reaction.Mostly used are U-233, U-235 & Pu-239 .Product is known from the reactions and that is what nuclear chemistry and are predictable. But, these products are harmful as they cause radiation.

If you like to know more please search in www.wikipedia.org .You will get almost everything there.

Answer 4

there is radiation which gets in the air water and our food , the destruction,the death, the sickness, and emps (electromagnetic pulse) and it all spreads all over vary rapidly even after the explosion

Answer 5

I *think* it's fission.