A Nuclear Reaction is a specific reaction where the atom of the nucleus goes through a change. It is a part of Nuclear Chemistry and is often the topic of many homework assignments. For new students, it is tough to understand and handle projects about nuclear reaction and environmental threat resulting from the same. When students are stuck, they run from pillar to post seeking for help. While clearing concepts is absolutely crucial, if students are pressed by time, they can always seek for custom Nuclear Reaction and Environment Threat Homework writing assistance from the experts in the field.
What is Nuclear Reaction?
The chemical world identifies two types of reactions –
- Atomic Reaction – Electrons present in the outermost shell can take part and complete all the reactions.
- Nuclear Reaction – The nucleus takes part for completing the reactions. The atom of the nucleus goes through an alteration in this type. There is spontaneous Radioactive decay, and some nuclei can be compelled to collide in order to result in new nuclei. Nuclear reactions have many applications.
The amount of energy generated by nuclear reactions is significantly higher than that in atomic reactions. However, the radioactive substance cannot be used for generating energy or for fusion reactions as the products obtained from fission are dangerous. A small atom bomb has to be exploded for the fusion. Nuclear reactor is used for generating nuclear energy in a low-cost way for peaceful ends, and helps conserve numerous non-renewable resources.
Nuclear reactions are subject to various laws of conservation, and these obey the principles for energies, angular momentum, momentum and charge. The conservation of all the nucleons is an additional conservation that is examined by classical physics. Neutrons and protons do not have to be separately conserved, as these can be seen to change into each other.
How Do Nuclear Reactions Pose Environmental Threat?
Nuclear reactions can yield high energy, which can be used for various useful ends, but can also pose various threats to the environment as well the health of living beings.
Health Problems
The biggest problems related to accidents involving a nuclear power reactor involve negative effects that radiation exposure can have on human health. The human body is naturally exposed to radiation during the lifetime, such as during medical processes such as X-ray, MRI scan, CT scan or nuclear medicine that use various kinds of radiation for diagnosing underlying medical issues or for the treatment of a disorder. Natural background radiation occurs from outer space and even radiates upwards from the ground lying beneath. This low-level exposure of the body to medical processes and the environment does not lead to any apparent health issues in most people. However, exposure to high amounts of radiation over time can be damaging for the body cells and result in cancerous problems.
Exposure to very high levels of radiation can lead to the problem of Radiation Sickness – an ailment resulting from exposure to acute radiation dose over a short time. The symptoms can include nausea, skin burns, general weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, hair loss and possibly even death.
Environmental Health Problems
Other than humans and animals, nuclear power generation can also pose environmental health issues. Water is drawn from local rivers and local lakes in nuclear power plants for cooling purposes. Reactors use local water sources for the dissipation of high heat generated during nuclear reactions, and the excess water that is used for cooling is frequently discharged back into the water source at extremely high temperatures. The high temperatures along with the possible presence of heavy metals, salts and water pollutants can disrupt plant and amphibian life in the waterway.
Nuclear Reactions have often proven to be a bane for society and the environment. The explosion of a nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986 near Chernobyl killed 31 people immediately afterwards. The amount of exposure in this case is regarded to be hundred times more dangerous than the nuclear bombs that were dropped in the twin cities of Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Manhattan Project that was conducted in 1964 proved to be extremely damaging for the inhabitants of Seascale, a small village located in Cumberland. No evacuation was carried out in the village, and its milk resources were significantly affected. Milk was consequently banned for 1 month and this was followed by the dumping of many gallons of contaminated milk into the Irish Sea.
Students are often given custom papers to work on and in order to pass with impressive grades on Nuclear Reaction and Environment Threat Homework, they need the assistance, co-operation and flawlessly written papers of professionals who form a pool of expert writers in homework help agencies.
Meltdowns
A meltdown is an accident that happens to a nuclear reactor. At times, severe overheating of the reactor can lead to melting of its core. A meltdown can result in case of a defect in the reactor’s cooling system that lets one or more nuclear fuel elements surpass the melting point. In case a meltdown happens, radiation can be released into the environment by a nuclear power plant. The meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan in 2011 is still making radiation levels soar, posing problems for the global environment.
Safety Issues
Ever since September 11, 2001, when attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City shook the world, there have been constant worries of terrorists targeting nuclear reactors with the aim of releasing radioactive materials. It is difficult to predict how much a terrorist attack can compromise a nuclear reactor. However, it is interesting to note that a nuclear reactor generally has its containment walls made of an inner steel lining adjoined by reinforced concrete for 2 – 5 feet. In the United States, nuclear power plants are designed and constructed to resist earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and even crashes of small planes.
Radioactive Wastes
However, the proper disposal of radioactive wastes produced during nuclear fission is the biggest problem associated to nuclear reactions in nuclear power plants. It is impossible and unwise to dispose of radioactive wastes through standard processes. This is because some types of radioactive wastes, like exhausted fuel rods, continue to stay radioactive for many years. Where proper disposal is concerned, it can pose a big challenge.
At present, exhausted fuel is stored onsite at a nuclear power plant. The fuel is cooled underwater at first, in concrete pools lined by steel. Once the waste is cooled like this, it can be shifted to containers over the ground constructed with walls of steel-reinforced concrete. Long-term storage, however, is then needed for allowing the decay of the radioactive materials. It is important to store them in permanent nuclear storage facilities standing in stable areas.
How to Handle Nuclear Reaction and Environment Threat Homework Assignments?
Nuclear Reaction and Environment threat as a Chemistry Homework assignment is supposed to help students understand the topic and earn better grades in the process. The project is supposed to let students identify the different concepts that are covered in the assignment.
They can get an idea about
- Products of nuclear reactions
- Carbon dating
- Fusion and fission
- Nuclear binding energy
- Mass energy conversions and defects
- Radioactive tracers
- Radioactive imaging
- Decay graphs
- Balanced nuclear equations
- Radioactive decay
- Different types of radioactive decay
- Half-life calculations
- Impact of radioactive decay on nucleus
With complete understanding of such types of concepts, students can easily complete their homework. However, it is not easy for a new student to understand the topic and all the underlying concepts easily. You can sign up with any of the online tutors and get project assistance through online tutoring. You can get help with nuclear reaction projects, tutorials and project ideas from them. So without dilly-dallying with the idea of hiring professional assistance, it is a wise move to hire the services of a company offering high-quality Nuclear Reaction and Environment Threat Homework help services.