Fission

Whats it all about?

1. Nuclear fission occurs when a neutron hits a certain large atom, like Uranium, which
causes the large atom to split into smaller atoms.
2. This releases a lot of energy and even more neutrons.
3. Releasing more neutrons allows the reaction to go on and create even more energy.

Its like a domino effect!

Words to know!

Fission splitting
Neutron - particles in an atom that have a neutral charge
Atom - a basic unit of matter that consists of a nucleus, which contains a mix of
protons and neutrons.
o Review: The nucleus contains protons (positive charge) and neutrons (neutral
charge), while the electrons (negative charge) are outside the nucleus.

There are TWO types of Fission!

1. Controlled Fission, which is used in nuclear power plants to make energy.

Nuclear power plants use nuclear fission to create about 13% of the worlds
electricity.

2. Uncontrolled Fission, which is used in things like nuclear weapons

Lets practice a nuclear fission reaction together!

Turn the page.
How do we identify a fission reaction?
A fission reaction
always ends with 3
neutrons

Fission reaction
always starts with

235
92

1
U 10 n 139
Ba

____

3
56
0n

Fission reaction starts

with a large atom, which
means it is heavy.
Uranium has a mass of
235g/mol

Uranium broke down

into a smaller atom,
which means it is less
heavy. Barium has a
mass of 139g/mol

* Remember that an arrow in chemistry means an equal sign in math. *

Step 1
*Keep a calculator handy*
1. Add up the masses on the left side of the arrow. 235+1= 236 (Whole)
2. Add up the masses on the right side of the arrow. 139+1+1+1= 142 (Part)
(We added 3 ones because there are 3 neutrons)
3. We need to figure out how much more mass we need to add to the right side of the
arrow to make both sides EQUAL.
Whole - Part = Part
236-142 = 94
So, the mass of the missing element is 94.
4. Now we need to figure out the missing atomic number so we can identify the
element.
*Remember that the atomic number is the identity of the element, without it, we will
not be able to figure out the missing element.
5. Add up the atomic numbers on the left side of the arrow. 92+0= 92 (Whole)
6. Add up the atomic numbers on the right side of the arrow. 56+0+0+0= 56 (Part)
7. We need to figure out how much more mass we need to add to the right side of the
arrow to make both sides EQUAL.
Whole - Part = Part
92-56= 36
So, the atomic number of the missing element is 36.
8. Go to the Periodic Table and use the atomic number to identify the missing element.
The element is Krypton.

9. Rewrite
the
enter

reaction with the information we found.

235
92
10.

94
1
U 10 n 139
Ba

Kr

3
56
36
0n
Check to make sure that both sides are equal!

235 + 1 = 236

139 + 94 + 1 + 1+ 1= 236

92 + 0 = 92

56 + 36 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 92

* Both sides are equal! Try another example with this outline as a guide! *