nuclear reaction, and conservation of charge , mass, energy and momentum

Nuclear reaction

a nuclear reaction involve the  alteration  of the nucleus of atoms,  atomic number and masses changes after a nuclear reaction, it may be natural or artificial, natural involve a spontaneous decay or artificial  involving induced fission or fusion.

 Nuclear reaction either natural or artificial will cause the emission of alpha, beta, gamma, neutron, proton or any other nuclear particles by the parent atom followed by another atom with atomic number and mass higher or lower than the parent atomic in periodic table of element. According to a periodic law, when an atom emit an alpha particle the atom created will fall below by two place in the periodic table and when a beta particle is emitted it will fall at one place higher in the periodic table.

nuclear reaction occur when a target nuclear say X, is bombarded by a projectile x,  which can be either neutron, proton,  alpha particle, deuteron etc, , the result is either same particle or another y, and a new atom created in stable(ground state) or excited state.

x + X = y + Y

 but when the energies involve are not high, an intermediate or compound nuclei is formed, his compound nuclei is in excited state. It emits same or different nuclear particles until it turn to a stable atom.

 The product formed depend on the projectile particle and its energy, in nuclear particle

in nuclear reaction, energy, masses, charges, momentum, number of nucleon are conserved, if the incoming particle is same as outgoing particle, that if the x and y are same particle the reaction is termed as scattering, if kinetic energy is conserved and nucleus is left in the same state the reaction is said to be elastic, and if the kinetic energy is not conserved the reaction is termed as inelastic.

 Like chemical reactions nuclear reactions has to be balanced, for example

²⁴Mg + ²H =  ¹H + ²⁵Mg

Magnesium-24 ²⁴Mg has a charge of +12e, mass number  of 24, ²H deuteron has a charge of +1e and mass number  of 2 , ¹H proton has charge  +2e and mass number of 1 while ²⁵Mg has a charge of +12e and mass of 25. The top numbers are their masses and their atomic numbers represent their number of charges respectively. In nuclear physics there is a conservation of charge, mass and momentum.

1.       the total mass number at the reactant and product side must be constant

2.        the total charges ( atomic number or proton number) at the left and right hand side must be constant

3.       The total energy before and after the reaction must be constant.

4.       the total momentum before and after the reaction must be constant

5.       Also the total angular momentum before and after the reaction must be constant.

Forms of nuclear reactions

Scattering: when both the product and reactant side has same atoms, no new atoms formed.

 ²⁶Mg + ¹H = ¹H + ²⁶Mg

Transmutation: it could be done by proton, neutron deuteron etc

By proton

²⁴Mg + ²H = ¹H + ²⁵Mg

²⁶Mg + ¹H = ²H + ²³Na

By alpha particle

 ⁹Be + ⁴He = ⁶C + ⁰n

By neutron

⁶Li + ⁰n = ³H + ⁴He

By deuteron

¹⁶O + ²H = ⁴H + ¹⁴Mg

RADIATIVE CAPTURE

²⁶Mg + ¹H =  ²⁷Al + γ

otjer forms of nuclear reaction are photodisintegrations and induced fission.