Book Title: Shu Vidyut Sachit Teukay Che
Author(s): Mahendramuni
Publisher: Anekant Bharati Prakashan

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 144
________________ "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 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 nuclearinvolves 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 weight one gram less than 3000 tons, that is, one threebillionth part of the orginal 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 +8016 14 energy-the energy liberated per gram of mixture will be 14 x 109 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 rearrangment 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 hand, nuclear energy involves vital changes in the atomic nucleus itself, with a consequent loss of as high as 1/10 to nearly 8/10 of 1% in the orginal mass of the nucleus. This means that from 1 to nearly 8 gms. per 1000 gms. are liberated in the form of energy, as compered with only 1 gm. in 3 billion gms. liberated in the burning of coal. In other words, the amount of nuclear -energy, liberated in the transmutation of atomic nuclei is from 30,00,000 to 2,40,00,000 times as great as the chemical energy released by the burning of an equal amount of coal. Whereas most chemical reactions would take place easily at temperatures of a few hundred degrees, corresponding nuclear transformations would not even start before the temperature reached many million degrees." Jain Educationa International 6012 101. Gomber and Gupta, op. cit., p. 8/1 "Concept of Heat We know that when a piece of red hot iron is dropped into a beaker 131 .28 Si + For Personal and Private Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312