What is fusion in chemistry

Deuterium is plentifully available in ordinary water. Tritium can be produced by combining the fusion neutron with the abundant light metal lithium. Thus fusion has the potential to be an inexhaustible source of energy. To make fusion happen, the atoms of hydrogen must be heated to very high temperatures million degrees so they are ionized forming a plasma and have sufficient energy to fuse, and then be held together i.

The sun and stars do this by gravity. More practical approaches on earth are magnetic confinement, where a strong magnetic field holds the ionized atoms together while they are heated by microwaves or other energy sources, and inertial confinement, where a tiny pellet of frozen hydrogen is compressed and heated by an intense energy beam, such as a laser, so quickly that fusion occurs before the atoms can fly apart. Who cares? Fission and fusion are two physical processes that produce massive amounts of energy from atoms.

They yield millions of times more energy than other sources through nuclear reactions. You can check out the difference between the two in this video below. Video Url. When each atom splits, a tremendous amount of energy is released. Helmenstine holds a Ph. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter. Updated March 09, In general, they all refer to the joining of two parts to form a new product.

The most common definition, used in physical science, refers to nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the combination of two or more atomic nuclei to form one or more different nuclei. In other words, it is a form of transmutation that changes one element into another. In nuclear fusion, the mass of the product nucleus or nuclei is lower than the combined mass of the original nuclei.

This is due to the effect of binding energy within the nuclei. Energy is required to force the nuclei together and energy is released when new nuclei form. Nuclear fusion may be either an endothermic or exothermic process, depending on the mass of the initial elements. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.

Fusion Definition Physics and Chemistry. Understanding Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions. Nuclear Isomer Definition and Examples. Enthalpy Change Definition in Science. Nuclear Fission Versus Nuclear Fusion.