In the mid 1930s Enrico Fermi bombarded uranium with thermal neutrons and observed the release of a large amount of energy. This happened because the heavy uranium nucleus split into two lighter nuclei, releasing two or three neutrons along with a large amount of energy. What is this process called?
Chemistry · High School · Thu Feb 04 2021
Answered on
The process you are describing is known as nuclear fission. In nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom, typically a heavy element such as uranium, absorbs a neutron and becomes unstable. This instability causes the nucleus to split into two smaller nuclei, which are referred to as fission products. During this split a considerable amount of energy is released, along with additional neutrons. The released neutrons can go on to initiate the fission of other uranium nuclei, potentially creating a chain reaction.