Produce 131I with U235 Target Method - MeV Req'd

[Toddster]

I am looking to determine the MeV required to produce 131I utilizing U235 target method

 

[Astronuc]

I-131 is fission product of U-235, with a lot of other fission products. The fission cross-section is highest for thermal neutrons, ~0.0253 eV.

I-131 is also a decay product of Te-131, which is also a fission product of U-235, as well as a decay product of Sb-131, another fission product. Te-131 can be formed by neutron capture by Te-130, but that has very low probability.

Neutron capture by Te-130 would probably be the best way to make I-131.

 

[charng]

To produce 131I using the U235 target method, the required MeV is dependent on the specific reaction that is used. The most common reaction for producing 131I is the (n,γ) reaction, where a neutron is captured by a U235 nucleus to produce an excited state of U236, which then decays to 131I through the emission of a gamma ray.

The energy required for this reaction can be calculated using the Q-value equation, which takes into account the mass of the reactants and products. In this case, the Q-value is equal to the mass difference between U236 and 131I, which is approximately 5.3 MeV.

Therefore, the minimum energy required for the (n,γ) reaction to produce 131I using the U235 target method is 5.3 MeV. However, in practice, a slightly higher energy may be needed due to other factors such as the energy distribution of the neutrons and the efficiency of the target material.

It is important to note that this is just one possible method for producing 131I and there may be other reactions or methods that require different energies. It is always necessary to consider the specific conditions and parameters of the experiment to determine the exact MeV required for a particular reaction.