23.1 Mass Defect & Nuclear Binding Energy

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CIE A Level Physics Your notes
23.1 Mass Defect & Nuclear Binding Energy

Contents
Energy & Mass Equivalence
Nuclear Equations
Mass Defect & Binding Energy
Nuclear Fusion & Fission
Calculating Energy Released in Nuclear Reactions
Page 1 of 15
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Your notes
Einstein showed in his theory of relativity that matter can be considered a form of energy and hence,
he proposed:
Mass can be converted into energy
Energy can be converted into mass
This is known as mass-energy equivalence, and can be summarised by the equation:
E = mc2
Where:
E = energy (J)
m = mass (kg)
c = the speed of light (m s-1)
Some examples of mass-energy equivalence are:
The fusion of hydrogen into helium in the centre of the sun
The fission of uranium in nuclear power plants
Nuclear weapons
High-energy particle collisions in particle accelerators
Page 2 of 15
Nuclear Equations
Your notes
Representing Simple Nuclear Reactions
Nuclear reactions can be represented by balanced equations of nuclei in the AZX form
AX
Z
The top number A represents the nucleon number or the mass number
Nucleon number (A) = total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus
The lower number Z represents the proton or atomic number
Proton number (Z) = total number of protons in the nucleus
Worked example
When a neutron is captured by a uranium-235 nucleus, the outcome may be represented by the
nuclear equation:
235 U + 1n → 95 Mo + 139 La + x1n + 7 0 e
92 0 42 57 0 −1
Determine the value of x.

Answer:
Step 1: Balance the nucleon numbers (the top number)
235 + 1 = 95 + 139 + x(1) + 7(0)
Step 2: Rearrange to find the value of x
x = 235 + 1 − 95 − 139 = 2
Page 3 of 15

Your notes
Experiments into nuclear structure have found that the total mass of a nucleus is less than the sum of
the masses of its constituent nucleons
This difference in mass is known as the mass defect
Mass defect is defined as:
The difference between the mass of a nucleus and the sum of the individual masses of its protons
and neutrons
The mass defect Δm of a nucleus can be calculated using:
Δm = Zmp + (A – Z)mn – mtotal
Where:
Z = proton number
A = nucleon number
mp = mass of a proton (kg)
mn = mass of a neutron (kg)
mtotal = measured mass of the nucleus (kg)
Mass Defect
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A system of separated nucleons has a greater mass than a system of bound nucleons
Due to the equivalence of mass and energy, this decrease in mass implies that energy is released in the Your notes
process
Since nuclei are made up of neutrons and protons, there are forces of repulsion between the positive
protons
Therefore, it takes energy, ie. the binding energy, to hold nucleons together as a nucleus
Binding energy is defined as:
The energy required to break a nucleus into its constituent protons and neutrons
Energy and mass are proportional, so, the total energy of a nucleus is less than the sum of the energies
of its constituent nucleons
The formation of a nucleus from a system of isolated protons and neutrons is therefore an exothermic
reaction - meaning that it releases energy
This can be calculated using the equation:
E = Δmc2
Exam Tip
Avoid describing the binding energy as the energy stored in the nucleus – this is not correct – it is
energy that must be put into the nucleus to pull it apart.
Page 5 of 15
Binding Energy per Nucleon

In order to compare nuclear stability, it is more useful to look at the binding energy per nucleon Your notes
The binding energy per nucleon is defined as:
The binding energy of a nucleus divided by the number of nucleons in the nucleus
A higher binding energy per nucleon indicates a higher stability
In other words, it requires more energy to pull the nucleus apart
Iron (A = 56) has the highest binding energy per nucleon, which makes it the most stable of all the
elements
Graph of Binding Energies for Nuclei of Different Masses
By plotting a graph of binding energy per nucleon against nucleon number, the stability of elements can
be inferred
Page 6 of 15
Key Features of the Graph

At low values of A: Your notes
Nuclei tend to have a lower binding energy per nucleon, hence, they are generally less stable
This means the lightest elements have weaker electrostatic forces and are the most likely to
undergo fusion
Helium (4He), carbon (12C) and oxygen (16O) do not fit the trend
Helium-4 is a particularly stable nucleus hence it has a high binding energy per nucleon
Carbon-12 and oxygen-16 can be considered to be three and four helium nuclei, respectively,
bound together
At high values of A:
The general binding energy per nucleon is high and gradually decreases with A
This means the heaviest elements are the most unstable and likely to undergo fission
Page 7 of 15
Worked example
Your notes
Determine the binding energy per nucleon of iron-56, 56 Fe , in MeV.
26
Mass of a neutron = 1.675×10-27 kg

Mass of a proton = 1.673×10-27 kg
Mass of an iron-56 nucleus = 9.288×10-26 kg
Answer:
Step 1: Calculate the mass defect
Number of protons, Z = 26
Number of neutrons, A – Z = 56 – 26 = 30
Mass defect, Δm = Zmp + (A – Z)mn – mtotal
Δm = (26 × 1.673 × 10-27) + (30 × 1.675 × 10-27) – (9.288 × 10-26)
Δm = 8.680 × 10-28 kg
Step 2: Calculate the binding energy of the nucleus

Binding energy, E = Δmc2
E = (8.680 × 10-28) × (3.00 × 108)2 = 7.812 × 10-11 J
Step 3: Calculate the binding energy per nucleon
E
binding energy per nucleon =
A
E 7 . 812 × 10−11
= = 1 . 395 × 10−12 J
A 56
Step 4: Convert to MeV
J → eV: divide by 1.6 × 10-19
eV → MeV: divide by 106
1 . 395 × 10−12
binding energy per nucleon =
1 . 6 × 10−19
Page 8 of 15
binding energy per nucleon = 8 718 750 eV = 8 . 7 MeV

Your notes
Exam Tip
Checklist on what to include (and what not to include) in an exam question asking you to draw a graph
of binding energy per nucleon against nucleon number:
You will be expected to draw the best fit curve AND a cross to show the anomaly that is helium
Do not begin your curve at A = 0, this is not a nucleus!
Make sure to correctly label both axes AND units for binding energy per nucleon
You will be expected to include numbers on the axes, mainly at the peak to show the position of
iron (56Fe)
Page 9 of 15

Your notes
Nuclear Fusion
Fusion is defined as:
The fusing together of two small nuclei to produce a larger nucleus
Low mass nuclei (such as hydrogen and helium) can undergo fusion and release energy
Fusion of Hydrogen Isotopes to Produce Helium
The fusion of deuterium and tritium to form helium with the release of energy
For two nuclei to fuse, both nuclei must have high kinetic energy
This is because the protons inside the nuclei are positively charged, which means that they repel
one another
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It takes a great deal of energy to overcome the electrostatic force, so this is why it is can only be
achieved in an extremely high-energy environment, such as star’s core
When two protons fuse, the element deuterium is produced Your notes
In the centre of stars, the deuterium combines with a tritium nucleus to form a helium nucleus, plus the
release of energy, which provides fuel for the star to continue burning
Nuclear Fission
Fission is defined as:
The splitting of a large atomic nucleus into smaller nuclei
High mass nuclei (such as uranium) can undergo fission and release energy
Fission Reaction
The fission of a target nucleus, such as uranium, to produce smaller daughter nuclei with the release of
energy
Fission must first be induced by firing neutrons at a nucleus
Page 11 of 15
When the nucleus is struck by a neutron, it splits into two, or more, daughter nuclei
During fission, neutrons are ejected from the nucleus, which in turn, can collide with other nuclei which
triggers a cascade effect Your notes
This leads to a chain reaction which lasts until all of the material has undergone fission, or the reaction is
halted by a moderator
Nuclear fission is the process which produces energy in nuclear power stations, where it is well
controlled
When nuclear fission is not controlled, the chain reaction can cascade to produce the effects of a
nuclear bomb
Exam Tip
When an atom undergoes nuclear fission, take note that extra neutrons are ejected by the nucleus and
not from the fission products
Significance of Binding Energy per Nucleon

At low values of A:
Attractive nuclear forces between nucleons dominate over repulsive electrostatic forces between
protons
In the right conditions, nuclei undergo fusion
In fusion, the mass of the nucleus that is created is slightly less than the total mass of the original nuclei
The mass defect is equal to the binding energy that is released, since the nucleus that is formed is
more stable
At high values of A:
Repulsive electrostatic forces between forces begin to dominate, and these forces tend to break
apart the nucleus rather than hold it together
In the right conditions, nuclei undergo fission
In fission, an unstable nucleus is converted into more stable nuclei with a smaller total mass
This difference in mass, the mass defect, is equal to the binding energy that is released
Page 12 of 15

Your notes
The binding energy is equal to the amount of energy released in forming the nucleus, and can be
calculated using:
E = (Δm)c2
Where:
E = Binding energy released (J)
Δm = mass defect (kg)
c = speed of light (m s-1)
The daughter nuclei produced as a result of both fission and fusion have a higher binding energy per
nucleon than the parent nuclei
Therefore, energy is released as a result of the mass difference between the parent nuclei and the
daughter nuclei
Page 13 of 15
Worked example
Your notes
When uranium-235 nuclei undergo fission by absorbing slow-moving neutrons, two reactions are
possible:
235 1 139 95
Reaction 1: 92U + 0n → 54Xe + 38Sr + 2 10n + energy
Reaction 2: 235
92U + 1
0n → 2 116
46Pd + 𝑥c + energy
(a) For reaction 2, identify the particle c, and state the number, x, of such particles produced in the
reaction.
(b) The binding energy per nucleon, E, for a number of nuclides is given by the table below. Use the
table to show that the energy produced in reaction 1 is about 210 MeV.
(c) The energy produced in reaction 2 is 163 MeV. Suggest, with supporting reason, which one of
the two reactions is more likely to happen.
nuclide E / MeV
95
38Sr 8.74
139
54Xe 8.39
235
92U 7.60
Answer:
(a)
Step 1: Balance the number of protons on each side (bottom number)
92 = (2 × 46) + xnp (where np is the number of protons in c)
xnp = 92 – 92 = 0
Therefore, c must be a neutron
Step 2: Balance the number of nucleons on each side
235 + 1 = (2 × 116) + x
x = 235 + 1 – 232 = 4
Therefore, 4 neutrons are generated in the reaction
(b)
Step 1: Find the binding energy of each nucleus
Page 14 of 15
Total binding energy of each nucleus = Binding energy per nucleon × Mass number
Binding energy of 95Sr = 8.74 × 95 = 830.3 MeV Your notes
Binding energy of 139Xe = 8.39 × 139 = 1166.21 MeV
Binding energy of 235U = 7.60 × 235 = 1786 MeV
Step 2: Calculate the difference in energy between the products and reactants
Energy released in reaction 1 = ESr + EXe – EU
Energy released in reaction 1 = 830.3 + 1166.21 – 1786
Energy released in reaction 1 = 210.5 MeV
(c)
Since reaction 1 releases more energy than reaction 2, its end products will have a higher binding
energy per nucleon
Hence they will be more stable
This is because the more energy is released, the further it moves up the graph of binding energy
per nucleon against nucleon number (A)
Since at high values of A, binding energy per nucleon gradually decreases with A
Nuclear reactions will tend to favour the more stable route, therefore, reaction 1 is more likely to
happen
Page 15 of 15

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CIE A Level Physics Your notes

23.1 Mass Defect & Nuclear Binding Energy

Energy & Mass Equivalence

Determine the value of x.

Mass Defect & Binding Energy

Binding Energy per Nucleon

Key Features of the Graph

Mass of a neutron = 1.675×10-27 kg

Step 2: Calculate the binding energy of the nucleus

binding energy per nucleon = 8 718 750 eV = 8 . 7 MeV

Nuclear Fusion & Fission

Significance of Binding Energy per Nucleon

Calculating Energy Released in Nuclear Reactions

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