http://www.ck12.org Chapter 3. Chemical Interactions
3.65 Nuclear Fission
- Outline what happens during nuclear fission.
- Describe a nuclear chain reaction.
- Explain how nuclear fission can be used to produce energy.
- List pros and cons of using nuclear energy.
Steam rises from the cooling towers of this nuclear power plant. The steam is only harmless water vapor. Unlike
a power plant that burns fossil fuel, a nuclear power plant doesn’t release pollution into the air. That’s because a
nuclear power plant produces power by nuclear fission, a type of nuclear reaction.
What Is Nuclear Fission?
Nuclear fissionis the splitting of the nucleus of a radioactive atom into two smaller nuclei. This type of reaction
releases a great deal of energy from a very small amount of matter. Fission of a tiny pellet of radioactive uranium-
235, like the one pictured in theFigure3.116, releases as much energy as burning 1,000 kilograms of coal!