Hi all,
What is the mass defect of:
p + d −→ 3^2He + γ.
where 3^2He is just helium-3
To calculate the mass defect of a nuclear reaction, you need to determine the difference in mass between the reactants and the products. In this specific reaction, which involves the fusion of a proton (p) and a deuteron (d) to form helium-3 (3^2He) and release a gamma ray (γ), we can calculate the mass defect.
First, we need to determine the masses of the individual particles involved. The atomic mass of a proton is approximately 1.0073 atomic mass units (amu), the atomic mass of a deuteron is approximately 2.0141 amu, and the atomic mass of helium-3 is approximately 3.0161 amu.
Next, we sum up the masses of the reactants (proton and deuteron) and the mass of the gamma ray product. The total mass of the reactants is 1.0073 amu + 2.0141 amu = 3.0214 amu. The mass of the helium-3 product is 3.0161 amu.
Finally, we calculate the mass defect by taking the difference between the total mass of the reactants and the mass of the product:
Mass defect = (mass of reactants) - (mass of product)
Mass defect = 3.0214 amu - 3.0161 amu
Mass defect ≈ 0.0053 amu
So, the mass defect of this reaction is approximately 0.0053 atomic mass units.