One of the fusion reactions that takes place as a star ages is called the triple alpha process.
3 ^4_2He → ^12_6C
Calculate the mass defect (in u) and the energy produced (in MeV) each time the reaction takes place. (Atomic mass of 4He = 4.00260 u; atomic mass of 12C = 12.00000 u.)
mass defect= ____ u
energy produced= _____MeV
To calculate the mass defect for the reaction, we first need to calculate the total initial mass of the 3 alpha particles:
3(4.00260 u) = 12.0078 u
Next, we calculate the final mass of the carbon-12 atom:
12.00000 u
Now, we can find the mass defect:
Mass defect = Initial mass - Final mass
Mass defect = 12.0078 u - 12.00000 u
Mass defect = 0.0078 u
To convert the mass defect into energy produced, we use the Einstein's famous equation, E=mc^2, where c is the speed of light (3.00 x 10^8 m/s) and 1 atomic mass unit (u) is approximately equal to 931.5 MeV/c^2.
Energy produced = (0.0078 u)(931.5 MeV/u) = 7.26 MeV
Therefore, each time the reaction takes place, it produces a mass defect of 0.0078 u and an energy of 7.26 MeV.