Question

Why are nuclear transmutations involving neutrons generally easier to accomplish than those involving protons or alpha particles?

Short answer

Nuclear transmutations involving neutrons are generally easier to accomplish than those involving protons or alpha particles because neutrons do not experience the repulsive electromagnetic force due to their neutral charge. As a result, neutrons can more readily interact with atomic nuclei without needing as much energy to overcome the electromagnetic repulsion that protons and alpha particles face.

Step-by-step solution

1. Understanding Nuclear Transmutations

Nuclear transmutations refer to the process by which one element is transformed into another through changes in the number of protons and/or neutrons within its nucleus. This can be achieved through natural decay processes or artificially induced reactions, such as those seen in nuclear reactors.

2. Forces Within the Atomic Nucleus

Two major forces influence the interactions between protons and neutrons within a nucleus: the strong nuclear force and the electromagnetic force. The strong nuclear force is responsible for binding protons and neutrons together in the nucleus and has a very short range (of the order of 1 femtometer or 10^{-15} meters). The electromagnetic force, on the other hand, causes repulsion between protons due to their positive charges and has an infinite range.

3. Neutrons vs. Protons and Alpha Particles in Nuclear Transmutations

Neutrons are neutral particles (no electric charge) and therefore do not experience the repulsive electromagnetic force that protons do. This means that when a neutron approaches a nucleus, it does not experience resistance from the electromagnetic force and thus, has a higher probability of interacting with the nucleus. In contrast, protons and alpha particles (which consist of 2 protons and 2 neutrons, having an overall positive charge) face a repulsive electromagnetic force when approaching a nucleus due to its positive charge. To overcome this repulsion, the proton or alpha particle must have enough energy (usually provided by kinetic energy) to approach closely enough for the strong nuclear force to take over and bind the particle to the nucleus. In general, achieving this energy requires higher amounts of energy as compared to neutron-induced transmutations.

4. Conclusion

Nuclear transmutations involving neutrons are generally easier to accomplish than those involving protons or alpha particles because neutrons do not experience the repulsive electromagnetic force. This allows neutrons to more easily interact with atomic nuclei without needing as much energy to overcome the electromagnetic repulsion experienced by protons and alpha particles.