Which among the following is a correct statement?a) The first nuclear ...
Ans: b
Explanation:
- A nuclear reactor is a system that contains and controls sustained nuclear chain reactions.
- Reactors are used for generating electricity, moving aircraft carriers and submarines, producing medical isotopes for imaging and cancer treatment, and for conducting research.
- The first nuclear reactor was made by Fermi who used U235 as fuel.
- Hydrogen Bomb is based on the phenomenon of nuclear fusion and was made in 1952 by American scientists.
- The central core of a hydrogen bomb is a uranium (or plutonium) fission bomb which is surrounded by a compound of heavy hydrogen, like lithium hydride (LiH2).
- A fusion bomb is much more destructive than the fission bomb.
- Nuclear Fusion is the phenomenon of fusing of two or more lighter nuclei to form a single heavy nucleus where Mass defect in the process appears as energy.
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Which among the following is a correct statement?a) The first nuclear ...
Reactor for Producing Medical Isotopes
- Reactors are indeed used for producing medical isotopes for imaging and cancer treatment.
- Medical isotopes are radioactive substances that are used in various medical procedures, such as diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment.
- These isotopes are produced in nuclear reactors by bombarding stable isotopes with neutrons, resulting in the creation of radioactive isotopes.
- The most commonly used isotope for medical imaging is technetium-99m, which is produced by irradiating molybdenum-99 in a nuclear reactor.
- Technetium-99m is used in procedures like single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and is highly effective in diagnosing various medical conditions.
- Reactors also produce other isotopes like iodine-131 and cobalt-60, which are used in cancer treatment.
- Iodine-131 is used for the treatment of thyroid cancer, while cobalt-60 is used in external beam radiation therapy.
Other Options
- Option a) is incorrect because the first nuclear reactor, called Chicago Pile-1, was built by Enrico Fermi, not Rutherford. It used graphite as a moderator and uranium-235 as fuel.
- Option c) is incorrect because the hydrogen bomb is based on the phenomenon of nuclear fusion, not nuclear fission. It involves the fusion of isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) to release a tremendous amount of energy.
- Option d) is incorrect because a fusion bomb (also known as a thermonuclear bomb) is much more destructive than a fission bomb. Fusion bombs have much higher explosive yields and can release energy equivalent to millions of tons of TNT. Fission bombs, on the other hand, have lower yields and release energy equivalent to thousands of tons of TNT.
Therefore, the correct statement is option b) - Reactors are used for producing medical isotopes for imaging and cancer treatment.
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