Nuclear energy
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{{otheruses4|Nuclear Energy|the use of nuclear fission as a power source|Nuclear power}}
'''Nuclear Energy''' is [[energy]] due to the splitting (fission) or merging together (fusion) of the [[nuclei]] of [[atom]](s). The conversion of nuclear [[mass]] to energy is consistent with the [[mass-energy equivalence]] formula ''ΔE'' = ''Δm.c''², in which ''ΔE'' = energy release, ''Δm'' = [[mass defect]], and ''c'' = the [[speed of light]] in a [[vacuum]] (a [[physical constant]]).
Nuclear energy was first discovered by [[France|French]] physicist [[Henri Becquerel]] in [[1896]], when he found that photographic plates stored in the dark near [[uranium]] were blackened like [[X-ray]] plates, which had been just recently discovered at the time [[1895]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.aip.org/history/curie/resbr1.htm
|title=Marie Curie - X-rays and Uranium Rays
|publisher=aip.org
|accessdate=2006-04-10}}</ref>
[[Nuclear chemistry]] can be used as a form of [[alchemy]] to turn [[lead]] into [[gold]] or change any atom to any other atom (albeit through many steps).<ref>[http://chemistry.about.com/cs/generalchemistry/a/aa050601a.htm Turning Lead into Gold]</ref> [[Radionuclide]] (radioisotope) production often involves irradiation of another [[isotope]] (or more precisely a [[nuclide]]), with [[alpha particle]]s, [[beta particle]]s, or [[gamma ray]]s.
[[Iron]] has the highest binding energy per [[nucleon]] of any atom. If an atom of lower average binding energy is changed into an atom of higher average binding energy, energy is given off. The chart shows that fusion of [[hydrogen]], the combination to form heavier atoms, releases energy, as does fission of uranium, the breaking up of a larger nucleus into smaller parts. Stability varies between isotopes: the isotope [[Uranium-235|U-235]] is much less stable than the more common [[Uranium-238|U-238]].
[[Image:Binding energy curve - common isotopes.svg|500px]]
Nuclear energy is released by three ''exoenergetic'' (or [[exothermic]]) processes:
* [[Radioactive decay]], where a neutron or proton in the [[radioactive]] nucleus decays spontaneously by emitting either particles, [[electromagnetic radiation]] (gamma rays), neutrinos (or all of them)
* [[nuclear fusion|Fusion]], two atomic nuclei fuse together to form a heavier nucleus
* [[nuclear fission|Fission]], the breaking of a heavy nucleus into two (or more rarely three) lighter nuclei
== References ==
{{reflist}}
==See also==
* [[Nuclear power]]
* [[Nuclear fission]]
* [[Nuclear fusion]]
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
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*[http://www.ans.org/ American Nuclear Society]
*[http://www.lbst.de/publications/studies__e/2006/EWG-paper_1-06_Uranium-Resources-Nuclear-Energy_03DEC2006.pdf Uranium Resources and Nuclear Energy]
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[[Category:Energy]]
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[[cs:Jaderná energie]]
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