Help with Chemistry project

[ChrisMG187]

OK, I need the nuclear equation for a fusion based nuclear bomb. Anyone help me out?

[Pinkgirl36]

I sorry, I never took Chemistry. Wish I could be of more help to you.

[xsiled2]

copy and paste


1 4 0
4-H-->-He + 2-ß
1 2 1

[sho.gun]

Originally posted by xsiled2
http://www.angelfire.com/az2/xsiled/fusion1.gif
copy and paste


1 4 0
4-H-->-He + 2-ß
1 2 1


you didn't *just* happen to know that did you?

[xsiled2]

Originally posted by sho.gun


you didn't *just* happen to know that did you?

its a twisted sort of world isnt it...

[Kevster]

Originally posted by xsiled2
copy and paste


1 4 0
4-H-->-He + 2-ß
1 2 1


If you want the equation for boosted-fission thermonuclear fusion, that's a bit more complex.

If you need more info on this, look at the Federation of American Scientists webpage:

http://www.fas.org/index.html

[El Scorcho]

Originally posted by ChrisMG187
fusion based nuclear bomb

"chemistry project" eh?

[BrewMaster]

yeah...i'm a chem major and i'm in a lab with a bunch of grad students and no on knows this off the top of their heads. look it up.

[brainsmile]

I'm sure many terrorists know it though... sad world we live in

[Markel]

Originally posted by brainsmile
I'm sure many terrorists know it though... sad world we live in
No, the terrorists just know how to make it happen....

[Kevster]

To make a small fission nuclear device is difficult, but not too difficult if you have access to the right materials, high-precision machining tools and the correct explosives/electronics to make your plutonium/uranium reach critical mass (it's all about timing the sequences in the correct order the correct number of nanoseconds).

To make a thermonuclear device, that requires a far more developed heavy industry and enough money to aquire the additional extremely rare materials needed (Deuterium/Tritium for one) to boost the fission reaction of a device into a fusion reaction as well. That's where you get the 1 megaton+ yields.

Terrorists may know how to go about constructing such a device, butto actually do it is very difficult indeed. A nuclear device is a very complex piece of hardware and to do it correctly it can take years of development that is highly likely to be discovered somehow.

India and Pakistan's devices both took many years to develop and they ended up being very small, crude weapons on the order of 4-15kt.

[ChrisMG187]

Which is why terrorists prefer to steal weapons rather than making them.

[Memo]

Originally posted by Kevster
To make a small fission nuclear device is difficult, but not too difficult if you have access to the right materials, high-precision machining tools and the correct explosives/electronics to make your plutonium/uranium reach critical mass (it's all about timing the sequences in the correct order the correct number of nanoseconds).

To make a thermonuclear device, that requires a far more developed heavy industry and enough money to aquire the additional extremely rare materials needed (Deuterium/Tritium for one) to boost the fission reaction of a device into a fusion reaction as well. That's where you get the 1 megaton+ yields.

Terrorists may know how to go about constructing such a device, butto actually do it is very difficult indeed. A nuclear device is a very complex piece of hardware and to do it correctly it can take years of development that is highly likely to be discovered somehow.

India and Pakistan's devices both took many years to develop and they ended up being very small, crude weapons on the order of 4-15kt.

That's why people don't really care if you teach people how to create nuclear weapons. Getting the weapon grade uranium/plutonium is hard enough and then like you said and manufacturing it to reach critical mass is hard. Some guy actually came in and showed us how to do it in school once. Said it didn't matter because we'd never be able to do it. And if we could, we'd probably have the initiative to learn it somewhere else.

[Kevster]

Originally posted by ChrisMG187
Which is why terrorists prefer to steal weapons rather than making them.

Very True.

The other thing about the big hydrogen (Deuterium/Tritium) devices it that they have a definite shelf life. The half life of Tritium is about 12.5 years and it will decay into either Deuterium or combine to make Helium. A lot of people don't know this, but it costs a lot just to maintain nuclear weapons. You have to keep cycling the hydrogen mix to keep the purity level up so you have enough neutrons in the hydrogen to boost the fission reaction to the point that fusion will also occur. You have to keep the Helium to a minimum because those atoms will absorb neutrons and put a big stopper on your reaction and you'll end up with a flash-in-the-pan. And all within 3 shakes, if you know what I mean.

[molecularfire]

Too complicated. Either buy a nuclear device from the now defunct USSR or use fertilizer like the rest of us. :P

[leemaj]

Originally posted by molecularfire
Too complicated. Either buy a nuclear device from the now defunct USSR or use fertilizer like the rest of us. :P

hahah

[Sir_Froggy]

ugh..........chemistry i hate it

[El Scorcho]

Originally posted by Kevster


Very True.

The other thing about the big hydrogen (Deuterium/Tritium) devices it that they have a definite shelf life. The half life of Tritium is about 12.5 years and it will decay into either Deuterium or combine to make Helium. A lot of people don't know this, but it costs a lot just to maintain nuclear weapons. You have to keep cycling the hydrogen mix to keep the purity level up so you have enough neutrons in the hydrogen to boost the fission reaction to the point that fusion will also occur. You have to keep the Helium to a minimum because those atoms will absorb neutrons and put a big stopper on your reaction and you'll end up with a flash-in-the-pan. And all within 3 shakes, if you know what I mean.


ow.... my brain:bigeyes: :eek2: :eek3: :banghead:

[Ladogaboy]

Originally posted by El Scorcho



ow.... my brain:bigeyes: :eek2: :eek3: :banghead:

Hey, this stuff is simple compared to the skidmarks equation!

[Sir_Froggy]

Originally posted by Kevster


Very True.

The half life of Tritium is about 12.5 years and it will decay into either Deuterium or combine to make Helium. A lot of people don't know this, but it costs a lot just to maintain nuclear weapons.


hah a terrorist that doesn't know this lets his bomb sit around a couple a years and then he walks in one day and sees the outter casing floating :P

sorry if u don't find this funny......i find many things funny

[ChrisMG187]

Originally posted by Kevster


Very True.

The other thing about the big hydrogen (Deuterium/Tritium) devices it that they have a definite shelf life. The half life of Tritium is about 12.5 years and it will decay into either Deuterium or combine to make Helium. A lot of people don't know this, but it costs a lot just to maintain nuclear weapons. You have to keep cycling the hydrogen mix to keep the purity level up so you have enough neutrons in the hydrogen to boost the fission reaction to the point that fusion will also occur. You have to keep the Helium to a minimum because those atoms will absorb neutrons and put a big stopper on your reaction and you'll end up with a flash-in-the-pan. And all within 3 shakes, if you know what I mean. Well from my research, I was under the assumption that they used a lithium-deuteride compound, since lithium-6 gives off He-4 and tritium, and Li-7 gives off He-4, tritium, and a neutron. Since the tritium is stored as part of the Lithium, wouldn't this make the upkeep you are speaking of to a minimum, because of the fact that a fission reaction has to be started to initiate the decay of the Li?

[BrewMaster]

Originally posted by Sir_Froggy
ugh..........chemistry i hate it

AHHHHH!

bite your tongue young man! chemistry is the best! it's so intersting. i love it. it's also my major....