he unstable uranium nuclide 238 92U has a half-life of 4.5 billion years and decays into the thorium nuclide 234 90Th. The thorium daughter nuclide has a half-life of 24.1 days and decays into the protactinium nuclide 234 91Pa, which has a half-life of 6.75 hours and decays into 234 90U, whose half-life is 245 thousand years. In a sample of uranium-containing rock, of the four nuclides the most abundant will be __________. 238 92U because the very long half-life means a very small rate of decay 234 91Pa because it has the shortest half-life and therefore has the smallest rate of decay 234 90Th because the decay rate of 238 92U is so large and the decay rate of 234 91Pa is small 234 90U because it is the decay product of the other nuclides
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion is a type of nuclear reaction. In nuclear fusion, two or more than two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus. During this process, an enormous amount of energy is released. This energy is called nuclear energy. Nuclear fusion is the energy source of the sun and stars.
Fusion Bomb
A fusion bomb is also known as a thermonuclear bomb or hydrogen bomb which releases a large amount of explosive energy during a nuclear chain reaction when the lighter nuclei in it, combine to form heavier nuclei, and a large amount of radiation is released. It is an uncontrolled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction where isotopes of hydrogen combine under very high temperature to form helium. They work on the principle of operation of atomic fusion. The isotopes of Hydrogen are deuterium and tritium, where they combine their masses and have greater mass than the product nuclei, get heated at high temperatures, and releases energy.
The unstable uranium nuclide 238 92U has a half-life of 4.5 billion years and decays into the thorium nuclide 234 90Th. The thorium daughter nuclide has a half-life of 24.1 days and decays into the protactinium nuclide 234 91Pa, which has a half-life of 6.75 hours and decays into 234 90U, whose half-life is 245 thousand years. In a sample of uranium-containing rock, of the four nuclides the most abundant will be __________.
238 92U because the very long half-life means a very small rate of decay
234 91Pa because it has the shortest half-life and therefore has the smallest rate of decay
234 90Th because the decay rate of 238 92U is so large and the decay rate of 234 91Pa is small
234 90U because it is the decay product of the other nuclides
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