Minimum energy for a reaction

[Ry122]

What minimum energy would the proton need to make the following reaction occur?
H + Li = Be + n
I know that the proton's amu needs to be equal to the left side of the equation's amu.
How does the proton's energy have anything to do with how much energy the result of the reaction has?

 

[Dick]

The protons amu doesn't have to equal the amu of left side. It's also bringing in kinetic energy. And E=mc^2. You probably aren't expected to actually compute the reaction kinematics, but at least balance energy on both sides, not mass.

 

[ogb p]

The minimum energy required for a reaction to occur is known as the activation energy. In the case of the given reaction, the minimum energy required for the proton to react with lithium and form beryllium and a neutron would depend on the specific reaction conditions, such as temperature and pressure.

The proton's energy affects the reaction in two ways. First, it must have enough kinetic energy to overcome the repulsive forces between the positively charged proton and the positively charged nucleus of lithium. This is known as the Coulomb barrier. The amount of energy needed to overcome this barrier is determined by the charges and distances between the particles involved in the reaction.

Secondly, the proton's energy also plays a role in determining the energy of the products of the reaction. When the proton reacts with lithium, the resulting beryllium and neutron will have a certain amount of kinetic energy, which is determined by the energy of the proton and the energy released during the reaction.

In summary, the minimum energy required for the reaction to occur is determined by the specific reaction conditions and is influenced by the proton's energy, both in terms of overcoming the Coulomb barrier and determining the energy of the products.