Nuclear Fission and Fusion: what is the difference and what are the impacts?

Who here liked Physics and Chemistry at school? Today we are going to talk about a classic topic covered in these subjects: nuclear fission and fusion!

Despite having very similar names – which can even serve to confuse those who are not familiar with the subject – the two types of activities are very different.

And throughout the text, we will learn about some particularities of each of them, understand what the difference is – or what the differences are – between them and what impacts each of them has on the world.

What is a nuclear reaction?

Before we dive into today's content, we thought it would be interesting to give you a brief background on what a nuclear reaction is and how it works.

A nuclear reaction is a reaction that involves the direct change of one or more atomic nuclei. In general, if two nuclei come close to each other, they can interact through the nuclear force. 

This type of reaction can be exothermic – when energy is released – or endothermic, when external energy is required for the process to occur.

And it is also important to mention that there are differences between two processes that, despite having similar names, are totally different: we are talking about the nuclear reaction and the chemical reaction.

While nuclear reactions – as the name suggests – involve transformations and changes that occur directly in the nucleus of the atom, chemical reactions involve the atom's electrosphere. They are atoms donating, receiving and sharing electrons among themselves.

Furthermore, another difference is in the amount of energy in each of them. For comparison, nuclear reactions release much – but much! – more energy than chemical reactions.

So, don't get confused! Despite the similar names, these reactions are completely different.

Let's understand each of them a little better.

Even though it is not a type of knowledge that is part of the lives of most readers of Trechos da Vida, it is always good to acquire new knowledge.

Plus, you can also learn more about how certain areas and things work.

Next, we will explain more about what nuclear fission and fusion are.

Along the way, we will also emphasize the main characteristics of each of them and, of course, show more about the differences between them.

What is nuclear fission?

Nuclear fission is when you have a large – and heavier – nucleus and a division occurs, giving rise to two lighter elements.

As simple as it may seem, this process releases a huge amount of energy in the form of heat.

And in cases of this type of reaction, the most used element is uranium, making the method quite common in nuclear energy around the world.

What is nuclear fusion?

Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, is quite different – not to say completely contrary – to nuclear fission.

This process involves the union of small atoms. When these atoms join together, they end up forming a third atom, which is larger. And although it may seem simple, this process is also known for releasing a lot – a lot! – of energy when it occurs.

The light and heat of stars and the Sun are examples of this reaction. 

What are the impacts of nuclear fission and fusion?

After better understanding what each of these processes is, it is time to talk about the impact of nuclear fission and fusion on the world we live in.

What is the impact of nuclear fission?

This type of resource is mainly used to generate energy in nuclear power plants that exist around the world. 

And despite all the development that these nuclear plants bring, they are far from being unanimous when it comes to popular opinion.

After all, even with the various technological advances, there is always the fear of a nuclear catastrophe happening like what happened in Chernobyl in April 1986.

At the time, one of the nuclear power plant's reactors exploded and ended up causing thousands of victims, directly or indirectly, marking world history forever.

In contrast to all the development and electrical energy that these nuclear plants offer to millions of people around the world, nuclear fission was one of the main points that gave rise to one of the most well-known weapons – and with one of the greatest powers of destruction – by humanity: the atomic bomb.

This is because – generally speaking – the same process that is used to obtain electrical energy is the same one used to create the feared atomic bombs.

And when it comes to atomic bombs, it is impossible not to remember the nuclear attacks suffered by the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War.

Despite being distinct – as one was a uranium bomb and the other was a plutonium bomb – this did not prevent all the uncontrolled destruction caused by them. 

And in both situations, nuclear fission was the method used to manufacture these bombs.

What is the impact of nuclear fusion?

Now, to wrap up our material, let's talk about the impact of nuclear fusion.

And we already started by saying that, in relation to energy, this process generates much more than nuclear fission.

So much so that, when comparing the process of nuclear fission and fusion, we will notice that the energy generated during fusion is much greater than the result acquired during the fission process.

A clear example of the full power of this nuclear fusion is in the sky every day.

We are talking about the Sun and the stars!

In general, the Sun works like a large nuclear fusion reactor, just like the stars. 

And of course, all this power resulting from nuclear fusion did not go unnoticed by humans.

It was while carrying out studies to better explore how nuclear fusion works that man made a discovery.

And then humans found a way to transform all this energy into a war item and obtain a type of weapon.

As soon as the hydrogen bomb appeared.

And as a result of a process capable of generating much more energy than nuclear fission, this bomb – which is also known as the 'H-bomb' – surpassed it in one respect.

It was discovered that this bomb also has a much greater potential for destruction when compared to the atomic bomb that we know.

In other words: even more dangerous than the atomic bomb we know.

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