It is interesting to compare the energy produced by fusion to that produced by combustion. When carbon burns to produce carbon dioxide, 395 kJ/mol of energy is released. Approximately how much greater is the energy per mole of deuterium that is released in the following fusion process: ${ } ^ { 2 } \mathrm { H } + { } ^ { 2 } \mathrm { H } \rightarrow { } ^ { 4 } \mathrm { He } ?$ The atomic masses are 2.0104 g/mol for deuterium and 4.0026 g/mol for helium. Be sure to keep track of the units and get them correct; remember, 1 kJ = 1,000 kg m²/s².

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The energy released in fusion is significantly higher than in combustion. The mass defect in the fusion process can be calculated using the atomic masses, and then converted to energy using E=mc². The energy per mole of deuterium in fusion is on the order of 10⁶ times greater than that of combustion.

It Is Interesting to Compare the Energy Produced by Fusion 2H+2H→4He?{ } ^ { 2 } \mathrm { H } + { } ^ { 2 } \mathrm { H } \rightarrow { } ^ { 4 } \mathrm { He } ?2H+2H→4He?

It Is Interesting to Compare the Energy Produced by Fusion ${ } ^ { 2 } \mathrm { H } + { } ^ { 2 } \mathrm { H } \rightarrow { } ^ { 4 } \mathrm { He } ?$