In the early years of thinking, Creek philosophers thought atoms were the building blocks of matter. Everything was built by atoms: people, trees, water and air. Atoms were viewed as eternal and indivisible. This idea was changed by Henri Becquerel, a French physicist, discovered some photographic plates had been exposed by particles coming from a piece of uranium. After this discovery, the Curies discovered that certain elements radiate particles. These particles would change into other elements. A new phenomenon was discovered-radioactivity. To understand how atoms change, we have to look at the structure of an atom; namely, the nucleus of the atom. The atomic nucleus cannot be seen by the naked eye. It is …show more content…
It had the potential to be used for explosions and power production. This was nuclear fission, or in simpler terms, the splitting of the atom. Nuclear fission is a balancing act between the attraction of strong forces and the pushing away of electrical forces inside the nucleus. Nuclear fusion involves joining two small nuclei together to produce a larger nucleus. Therefore, nuclear fusion and nuclear fission produce vastly more energy than any chemical or nuclear reaction. This technology and knowledge of atoms would usher in the bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan to end World War II; namely the “nuclear …show more content…
When a neutron is absorbed by a U-238 there are no fission results. The nucleus that was created, U-239, emits a beta particle and then becomes an isotope of neptunium. This isotope (Np-239) emits a beta particle and later becomes plutonium. This isotope (Pu-239) undergoes fission when it captures a neutron. The half-life of neptunium-239 compared to plutonium-239 is relatively small (2.4 days to 24,000 years). Plutonium, like lead and arsenic, is a poison; it attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis. Plutonium, either airborne or liquid, is radioactively toxic. Plutonium is even more toxic than uranium, but less so than radium. The greatest danger plutonium presents us is its capability for nuclear fission bombs. However, its best use is in breeder