Binding Energy
Binding energy is the energy required to disassemble a system into its constituent parts. In the context of atomic physics, it refers to the energy required to break apart an atomic nucleus into its individual protons and neutrons. This concept is important in understanding the stability and structure of atomic nuclei and is crucial in nuclear physics and chemistry.
4 Key excerpts on "Binding Energy"
eBook - ePubEssentials of Energy Technology
Sources, Transport, Storage, Conservation
- Jochen Fricke, Walter L. Borst(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Wiley-VCH(Publisher)
...Vietnam, Turkey, Bangladesh, and Belarus plan to start building their first nuclear reactors. In the United States the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the first construction permits for new nuclear reactors since 1978 [2]. The following provides a concise description of the physical principles and applications of nuclear energy. A more detailed treatment of nuclear reactors than was possible in this book is given in [3, 4]. 5.1 Binding Energy and Mass Defect The mass of a nucleus m (N, Z), made up of N neutrons with mass m N and Z protons with mass m Z, is smaller than the sum of the masses of its components. This so-called mass defect Δ m is correlated with the Binding Energy Δ E of the neutrons and the protons in the nucleus: 5.1 with c the speed of light. The relative mass defect Δ m / m for the nucleus, held together by the strong interaction, is of the order 10 −3. A mass defect, although much smaller, also occurs for the proton–electron and the Earth–Sun systems. Problem 5.1 Calculate the relative mass defect Δ m / m p for the H-atom and Δ m / m sun for the Earth–Sun system. Compare this with the mass defect from the strong nuclear interaction. A relatively simple yet successful derivation of the nuclear Binding Energy was given by Bethe and Weizsäcker in the 1930s. Their “liquid drop model” describes volume and surface contributions to the Binding Energy quite well, especially for the heavier nuclei. Altogether, the formula for the nuclear Binding Energy contains five terms due to nuclear volume, surface effects, coulomb repulsion, asymmetry between protons and neutrons, and pairing of protons and neutrons. 5.1.1 Volume Term Assuming that every nucleon of the A = Z + N nucleons interacts with all other nucleons, we have a total of A · (A −1)/2 interactions. The volume energy term Δ E V, which is responsible for the attraction between the nucleons, would then be proportional to A 2 for large atomic numbers A...
eBook - ePubFoundations for Teaching Chemistry
Chemical Knowledge for Teaching
- Keith S. Taber(Author)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...10 Energy in chemistry and chemical bonding This chapter discusses one of the key topics in the chemistry curriculum, chemical bonding. This is a highly abstract concept area where a range of models and simplifications are taught. It is also an area where students commonly develop tenacious alternative conceptions (Taber, 2013a), and thus where the teaching approach can be very important in channelling student thinking towards scientific models. One particular feature of many students’ thinking is that they learn about chemistry topics such as bonding with no cognisance of the basic physical principles they have been taught elsewhere in science. Yet if students are to develop scientific understandings of chemistry, they need to appreciate where key concepts from physics, such as force and energy, are applied. This chapter reflects this imperative by first considering the role of the energy concept in understanding school chemistry before specifically addressing chemical bonding concepts. Appreciating the physicists’ concept of energy and how this applies in chemistry Energy is one of the most fundamental and ubiquitous concepts in science. It is also one of the most abstract. It is closely associated with another abstract concept – force. The primary responsibility for teaching these ideas falls upon the physics teacher. There are, however, consequences here for the teacher of chemistry: To avoid the potential of confusing students, the science department as a whole should have a common way of talking about energy and force so the ideas are used consistently across different topics and science subjects. As energy is an important concept in chemistry, the teacher of chemistry has to rely on what has been taught and how it has been taught in another subject. The teacher of chemistry not only relies on what has been taught in physics but on whether students can transfer their learning in physics to other subjects. The latter consideration is not insignificant...
eBook - ePub- William H. Hallenbeck(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
...CHAPTER 2 Energetics and Kinetics of Nuclear Transformations Important responsibilities in radiation protection include: • calculation of the thickness of various media required to attenuate radiation exposure and dose to acceptable levels • measurement or calculation of occupational and general population radiation exposures and doses • evaluation of occupational and general population doses using standards and recommendations In order to perform these functions, the radiation protection professional must have a basic understanding of the energetics and kinetics associated with nuclear transformations and the interactions of various resultant radiations with matter. This chapter focuses on energetics and kinetics. Chapter 3 will discuss interactions. 2.1 ENERGETICS When atoms are formed, some of the mass of the component nucleons (protons and neutrons) is converted to energy and released (exergonic reaction). This energy is referred to as Binding Energy and is the energy required to separate a nucleus into its component nucleons. Nuclear Binding Energy is analogous to electron Binding Energy. The Binding Energy per nucleon (BE/nucleon) for any nuclide is calculated as follows: BE/nucleon (in MeV/nucleon) = 931 MeV amu A × [ Z × M p + (A - Z) M n - M nucleus ] where M p = mass of proton in atomic mass units (amu) M n = mass of neutron in amu M nucleus = mass of nucleus in amu Z = atomic number A = mass number = neutrons + protons Nuclear masses are generally unavailable. However, atomic masses can be used in the following equation to yield a good estimate of BE/nucleon: BE/nucleon (in MeV/nucleon) = 931 MeV amu A × [ Z × M H + (A - Z) × M n - M atom ] (2.1) where M H = mass of hydrogen atom in amu M atom = mass atom in amu PROBLEM 2.1 Calculate the BE/nucleon of Fe-56, the most stable nucleus. Solution to Problem 2.1 From Eq...
eBook - ePubThe Really Useful Science Book
A Framework of Knowledge for Primary Teachers
- Steve Farrow, Amy Strachan(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...All of the known sources and forms of energy can eventually be traced back to the attraction and repulsion of atomic and molecular particles. These forces of attraction and repulsion are thought to be of four basic kinds: strong nuclear, weak nuclear, electromagnetic and gravitational forces. A fundamental principle of science that relates to energy is the law of conservation of energy. Basically, this states that energy can be converted from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed. What is believed to happen is that energy is not ‘used up’ by a system, but is transferred or converted into other forms of energy. So, the energy released by the combustion of petrol fuel in a car is converted into heat, sound, mechanical movement, electricity (which is then used as a further energy supply) and so on. None of the original energy derived from the breaking of the hydrocarbon bonds in the fuel is ‘lost’, but it can all be accounted for, at least theoretically, in terms of energy transfer or conversion. TEACHING IDEA Using a money analogy, we can explain that energy does not simply disappear. Energy is moved from one place to another, in the same way that our money is moved from our savings to a supermarket cash register. Like energy, money can be saved until we want to use it! Modern versions of this principle would extend the law to include mass as well as energy. Albert Einstein, with the famous equation e = mc 2, showed that mass and energy were theoretically interconvertible (e = energy; m = mass; c = the speed of light, a constant). It is now known that, when matter releases its energy, a small loss of mass results. In normal chemical reactions, the rate of conversion of mass to energy is so small that it is difficult to measure accurately...
