For the following fusion reaction, calculate the change in energy per mole.
2/1 H + 3/2 He -> 4/2 He + 1/1 H
See your post above.
To calculate the change in energy per mole for a fusion reaction, we need to use the concept of binding energy.
First, we need to find the total binding energy of the reactants and the total binding energy of the products. The binding energy is the energy required to separate the individual nucleons (protons and neutrons) in a nucleus.
For the reactants:
1. The binding energy of 2/1 H (deuterium) can be found in a table or using a database. Let's assume it is 2.22 MeV.
2. The binding energy of 3/2 He (helium-3) can also be found in a table, which is approximately 7.72 MeV.
For the products:
3. The binding energy of 4/2 He (helium-4) is approximately 28.30 MeV.
4. The binding energy of 1/1 H (proton) is usually considered to be negligible since it is not bound by the strong nuclear force.
Now, let's calculate the change in energy per mole:
Step 1: Calculate the total binding energy of the reactants:
Total binding energy of reactants = (2/1 H binding energy) + (3/2 He binding energy)
Total binding energy of reactants = 2.22 MeV + 7.72 MeV = 9.94 MeV
Step 2: Calculate the total binding energy of the products:
Total binding energy of products = (4/2 He binding energy) + (1/1 H binding energy)
Total binding energy of products = 28.30 MeV + 0 MeV (considering the negligible binding energy of a proton) = 28.30 MeV
Step 3: Calculate the change in binding energy:
Change in binding energy = Total binding energy of products - Total binding energy of reactants
Change in binding energy = 28.30 MeV - 9.94 MeV = 18.36 MeV
Therefore, the change in energy per mole for the given fusion reaction is 18.36 MeV.