http://www.ck12.org Chapter 24. Nuclear Chemistry
CHAPTER
(^24) Nuclear Chemistry
Chapter Outline
24.1 NUCLEARRADIATION
24.2 Half-Life
24.3 FISSION ANDFUSION
24.4 REFERENCES
The world’s first nuclear power plants began operations in the 1950s in both the United States and what was then
the Soviet Union. There are now over 400 nuclear power plants operating throughout the world. Nuclear power
uses the energy released from a process called nuclear fission to turn water into steam, which turns a turbine and
generates electricity. Nuclear fission is also responsible for the destructive power of the atomic bomb. In the picture
above, the reactors are the dome-shaped structures on the far left and right of the image. The large towers releasing
steam are for cooling the heated water before it can be reused or returned to the environment. Nuclear power has
been very controversial throughout its history due to the risk of radiation release in the case of an accident and the
problems of dealing with the radioactive waste generated by the plant. In this chapter, you will learn about nuclear
chemistry. Nuclear reactions involve changes to the nuclei of atoms, whereas ordinary chemical reactions only
involve rearrangements of electrons and atoms.
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