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Physicsissuef
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Is possible some elements (like Cadmium or Bohr) absorb neutrons, without any nuclear reaction in their atomic nucleus? If the answer is YES, then why there isn't any nuclear reaction?
A free neutron decays is about 15 minutes, right ? Besides, neutrons almost don't interact electromagnetically (their total electric charge being zero). If you want to call a material "neutron absorber", most probably you are referring to the ability of this material to stop and store free neutrons, and most probably this happens because of nuclei absorbing the neutrons, thus becoming new isotopes of the element they correspond to. Cadmium-113 for instance does just that in nuclear plants. This does involve nuclear reaction.Physicsissuef said:Is possible some elements (like Cadmium or Bohr) absorb neutrons, without any nuclear reaction in their atomic nucleus? If the answer is YES, then why there isn't any nuclear reaction?
humanino said:A free neutron decays is about 15 minutes, right ? Besides, neutrons almost don't interact electromagnetically (their total electric charge being zero). If you want to call a material "neutron absorber", most probably you are referring to the ability of this material to stop and store free neutrons, and most probably this happens because of nuclei absorbing the neutrons, thus becoming new isotopes of the element they correspond to. Cadmium-113 for instance does just that in nuclear plants. This does involve nuclear reaction.
But the absorption itself is a nuclear reaction. It involves a change in isotope, a re-arrangement of the nucleons in the nucleus, and a gamma-ray emmision.Physicsissuef said:There isn't any nuclear reaction happening after the absorption of neutron? (I am talking about Cadmium-113)
Yes, it is possible for elements to absorb neutrons without any nuclear reaction. This process is known as neutron capture, where an element captures a neutron and becomes a different isotope of the same element. This does not result in a nuclear reaction, but rather a change in the atomic mass of the element.
Neutron capture and nuclear fission are two different processes. Neutron capture involves an element absorbing a neutron, while nuclear fission involves the splitting of an atom into two or more smaller atoms. Nuclear fission releases a large amount of energy, while neutron capture does not result in significant energy release.
Yes, all elements have the potential to absorb neutrons. However, the likelihood of an element absorbing a neutron depends on its atomic structure and the availability of neutrons. Some elements may have a higher probability of neutron capture than others.
Neutron absorption can affect the stability of an element in different ways. In some cases, it can cause an element to become unstable and undergo radioactive decay. However, in other cases, neutron capture can increase an element's stability by filling its outermost energy level with neutrons.
Yes, neutron capture has several practical applications. One example is in nuclear power plants, where neutron capture is used to control the rate of nuclear fission. Neutron capture is also used in medical treatments, such as neutron capture therapy, to target and destroy cancer cells. Additionally, neutron capture is used in scientific research to study the properties of different elements.