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: ²H + ²H $\to$ ⁴He? 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

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: ²H + ²H

\to

⁴He? 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.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The energy released in fusion is significantly higher than in combustion. The fusion of deuterium to helium releases energy on the order of 10^6 times greater than the energy released by burning carbon.

It Is Interesting to Compare the Energy Produced by Fusion →\to→

It Is Interesting to Compare the Energy Produced by Fusion $\to$