In this symbolic representing of a nuclear reaction, lithium-6 (6 3Li ) and deuterium (2 1H ) react to form the highly excited intermediate nucleus 8 4Be which then decays immediately into two alpha particles of helium-4 (4 2He ). Protons are symbolically represented by red spheres, and neutrons by blue spheres.
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In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, a nuclear reaction is a process in which two nuclei, or a nucleus and an external subatomic particle, collide to produce one or more new nuclides. Thus, a nuclear reaction must cause a transformation of at least one nuclide to another. If a nucleus interacts with another nucleus or particle and they then separate without changing the nature of any nuclide, the process is simply referred to as a type of nuclear scattering, rather than a nuclear reaction.
In principle, a reaction can involve more than two particles colliding, but because the probability of three or more nuclei to meet at the same time at the same place is much less than for two nuclei, such an event is exceptionally rare (see triple alpha process for an example very close to a three-body nuclear reaction). The term "nuclear reaction" may refer either to a change in a nuclide induced by collision with another particle or to a spontaneous change of a nuclide without collision.
Natural nuclear reactions occur in the interaction between cosmic rays and matter, and nuclear reactions can be employed artificially to obtain nuclear energy, at an adjustable rate, on-demand. Nuclear chain reactions in fissionable materials produce induced nuclear fission. Various nuclear fusion reactions of light elements power the energy production of the Sun and stars.
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, a nuclearreaction is a process in which two nuclei, or a nucleus and an external subatomic particle, collide...
In nuclear physics, a nuclear chain reaction occurs when one single nuclearreaction causes an average of one or more subsequent nuclearreactions, thus...
Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei, usually deuterium and tritium (hydrogen isotopes), combine to form one or more different...
Cold fusion is a hypothesized type of nuclearreaction that would occur at, or near, room temperature. It would contrast starkly with the "hot" fusion...
Nuclear fission is a reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei. The fission process often produces gamma photons...
more energy than comparable chemical reactions, making nuclear bombs a million times more powerful than non-nuclear bombs, which a French patent claimed...
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear...
Nuclear pulse propulsion or external pulsed plasma propulsion is a hypothetical method of spacecraft propulsion that uses nuclear explosions for thrust...
chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive...
A nuclear explosion is an explosion that occurs as a result of the rapid release of energy from a high-speed nuclearreaction. The driving reaction may...
of an atom is changed. A transmutation can be achieved either by nuclearreactions (in which an outside particle reacts with a nucleus) or by radioactive...
where both electronic and nuclear changes can occur. The substance (or substances) initially involved in a chemical reaction are called reactants or reagents...
The nuclear cross section of a nucleus is used to describe the probability that a nuclearreaction will occur. The concept of a nuclear cross section...
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclearreactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission...
Nuclear chemistry is the sub-field of chemistry dealing with radioactivity, nuclear processes, and transformations in the nuclei of atoms, such as nuclear...
nearby. Nuclear power plants generate electricity by heating fluid via a nuclearreaction to run a generator. If the heat from that reaction is not removed...
Nuclear propulsion includes a wide variety of propulsion methods that use some form of nuclearreaction as their primary power source. The idea of using...
Nuclearreaction analysis (NRA) is a nuclear method of nuclear spectroscopy in materials science to obtain concentration vs. depth distributions for certain...
Strassmann and physicists Lise Meitner and Otto Robert Frisch. Fission is a nuclearreaction or radioactive decay process in which the nucleus of an atom splits...
Nuclear technology is technology that involves the nuclearreactions of atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear reactors, nuclear...
In nuclear engineering, a critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The critical mass of...
reaction NuclearreactionReaction (physics), as defined by Newton's third law Chain reaction (disambiguation) Adverse drug reaction Allergic reaction Reflex...
or release of nuclear energy occurs in nuclearreactions or radioactive decay; those that absorb energy are called endothermic reactions and those that...
yield ratio. Metastable isomers can be produced through nuclear fusion or other nuclearreactions. A nucleus produced this way generally starts its existence...
chemical chain reactions. The fission or "nuclear" chain-reaction, using fission-produced neutrons, is the source of energy for nuclear power plants and...
notably, nuclearreactions and their rates as they occur in cosmic environments, and modeling of astrophysical objects where these nuclearreactions may occur...
generation that would generate electricity by using heat from nuclear fusion reactions. In a fusion process, two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form...
Nuclearreactions take place in stars and nuclear power plants, both of which derive energy from the binding energy of nuclei. Chemical reactions are...
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