Oxygen-16 (15.994915 amu)is synthesized in the sun by fusion of ¹²C (12.000000 amu)and ⁴He (4.00260 amu).How much energy is released in this nuclear reaction? A)2.48 × 10³ kJ/mol B)2.30 × 10⁶ kJ/mol C)6.92 × 10⁸ kJ/mol D)7.20 × 10¹¹ kJ/mol

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mass defect is calculated as the difference between the mass of reactants and the mass of the product: (12.000000 + 4.00260) - 15.994915 = 0.007685 amu. Using E=mc², where 1 amu = 931.5 MeV, the energy released is 0.007685 amu × 931.5 MeV/amu = 7.16 MeV per reaction. Converting to kJ/mol, 7.16 MeV × 1.60218 × 10⁻¹³ J/MeV × 6.022 × 10²³/mol = 6.92 × 10⁸ kJ/mol.