Nuclear Reactions: Fusion
Throughout this unit, we’ve discussed chemical reactions in which atoms bond to each other in various ways. Nuclear reactions are quite different because in nuclear reactions, the reaction takes place in the nucleus, rather than outside of the nucleus. That is, chemical reactions involve bonds between atoms (not involving their nuclei, and thus not permanently altering the atoms themselves,) while nuclear reactions involve the protons, thus turning atoms into entirely different elements!
Matter can undergo nuclear changes when the nuclei of certain isotopes spontaneously change or are made to change into nuclei of different isotopes. There are 3 types of nuclear change, or types of nuclear reactions. The first one we’ll look at is called nuclear fusion. Click on each image below to learn more about nuclear fusion. Note that "fusion" means "put together."
