Fission product

Fission products are the residues of fission processes.

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In a nuclear reactor, the buildup of fission products in the fuel eventually leads to loss of efficiency, and in some cases to instability. They contribute most of the short and medium term radioactivity of high-level nuclear waste produced from spent reactor fuel. They also appear to some extent in the primary coolant.

Related Topics:
Nuclear reactor - Nuclear waste

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For fission of Uranium-235 the most common fission products include isotopes of Iodine, Caesium, Strontium, Xenon and Barium.

Related Topics:
Uranium - Iodine - Caesium - Strontium - Xenon - Barium

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The sum of the atomic weight of the two fission products produced by the fission of one atom is always less than the atomic weight of the original atom. This is because some of the mass is lost as free neutrons and large amounts of energy.

Related Topics:
Atomic weight - Atom - Neutrons - Energy

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