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53
Atom in Modern Science
SECTION V APPLICATION OF NUCLEAR
TRANSFORMATIONS
A. NUCLEAR ENERGY
We have already observed that matter and energy are two different manifestations of one and the same cosmic entity, instead of being two different entities. Matter inst
entities. Matter instead of being immutable was energy in a frozen state, while, conversely, energy was matter in a fluid 'state. The liberation of energy in any form - chemical, electrical or nuclear--involves the loss of an equivalent amount of mass.
LIBERATION OF ENERGY
It is well known that most chemical reactions liberate energy, simplest instance being burning of coal. The chemical union, in this case, is that of carbon and oxygen in the form of molecular fusion. When 3000 tons of coal are burnt to ashes, the residual ashes and the gaseous products weigh one gram less than 3000 tons, that is, one three-billionth part of the original mass will have been converted into energy.
Thus oxygen (0) + carbon (C) - carbon monoxide (CO) + energy.
This reaction would give 92 units of energy per gram of mixture. If instead of molecular fusion of these two atomic species, we have a nuclear fusion between their nuclei 6C12 + 8016 - 14Si28 + energy- the energy liberated per gram of mixture will be 14 x 10° Units, i.e. 15,00,000 times as great. In the liberation of chemical energy by the burning of coal, the energy comes from a very small mass i.e. loss of mass resulting from the rearrangement of the electrons on the surface of atoms. The nuclei of the carbon and oxygen atoms are not involved in any way, remaining exactly the same as before. The amount of mass lost by the surface electrons is one thirteenth of one millionth of one percent. On the
