Calculate the energy release in 1 gram of Uranium 235
under what conditions?
If you just want the energy equivalent, then use the good old formula
E = mc^2
using the appropriate SI units
To calculate the energy release in 1 gram of Uranium-235, we need to use Einstein's equation, E=mc², where E represents energy, m represents mass, and c represents the speed of light.
First, we need to determine the mass of Uranium-235 in grams. The atomic mass of Uranium-235 is approximately 235 atomic mass units (amu). In one mole of any element, there are Avogadro's number (6.022 × 10^23) of atoms. Therefore, the molar mass of Uranium-235 is 235 grams (since atomic mass and molar mass have the same numerical value).
Since we want to calculate the energy release in 1 gram of Uranium-235, we can create a proportion:
(1 gram Uranium-235) / (235 grams Uranium-235) = (Energy release) / (x)
To find x (the energy release), we can rearrange the equation:
x = (Energy release) = (1 gram Uranium-235) * (Energy release in 235 grams Uranium-235)
Since the question does not specify the type of energy release (e.g., nuclear fission or nuclear fusion), we can assume that it refers to nuclear fission. In nuclear fission, approximately 200 MeV (million electron volts) of energy is released per Uranium-235 nucleus that undergoes fission.
To convert MeV to joules, we use the conversion factor: 1 MeV = 1.6 x 10^-13 joules.
So, the energy release in 235 grams (1 mole) of Uranium-235 is:
Energy release in 235 grams Uranium-235 = (200 MeV per fission) * (1.6 × 10^-13 joules per MeV)
= 3.2 x 10^-11 joules per fission
Plugging this value into our proportion:
x = (1 gram Uranium-235) * (3.2 x 10^-11 joules per fission)
Calculating this expression will give us the energy release in 1 gram of Uranium-235.