Question 2

Uranium-235 Fission

Given: energy released = about 200 MeV per individual reaction (mass = 235 amu)

Part A

Find the balanced nuclear reaction.

Part B

Determine the energy released per kilogram of fuel used.

• Given MeV per reaction, calculate energy in joules per kilogram of reactants.
• Consider 1 mole of uranium-235 to be a mole of "reactions" (molar mass = 235 grams).

Part C

Determine the mass of fuel required for the expected energy consumption in the United States for the next 10 years:

• Provide the energy use per person per year in the United States = 3.5 10¹¹joules.
• Base your calculations on a current population of 310,000,000.