Page 107 - The Miracle in the Atom

Barium 142

Neutron

Fission is a reac-
tion in which the
atomic nucleus
splits into frag-
ments. As shown
in the picture, the
uranium 235 atom
made to collide
with a neutron is
split to form the
atoms of krypton
91 and barium 142.
Neutron As a result of this
collision, gamma
rays are also
Krypton 91 released in the
form of energy.

rence between the numbers of protons and neutrons in the nucleus, resulting
in an imbalance in its structure. Therefore, the nucleus starts splitting into
fragments while emitting a certain amount of energy to eliminate this imba-
lance. The nucleus, under the impact of the energy released, starts ejecting
the components it contains at great velocity.
Considering the results these experiments yielded, neutrons were acce-
lerated and uranium was bombarded with neutrons in special environments
called "reactors". However, uranium is bombarded with neutrons according
to a very fine measure, not randomly, because any neutron bombarding the

105