A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place.

In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events. Radionuclides are often referred to by chemists and physicists as radioactive isotopes or radioisotopes. Radioisotopes with suitable half-lives play an important part in a number of constructive technologies (for example, nuclear medicine). Radionuclides can also present both real and perceived dangers to health. Radioactive decay is the process by which an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing particles (ionizing radiation). The emission is spontaneous, in that the atom decays without any interaction with another particle from outside the atom (i.e., without a nuclear reaction). Usually, radioactive decay happens due to a process confined to the nucleus of the unstable atom, but, on occasion (as with the different processes ofelectron capture and internal conversion), an inner electron of the radioactive atom is also necessary to the process. a neutron moderator is a medium that reduces the speed of fast neutrons, thereby turning them into thermal neutrons capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction involvinguranium-235. A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The most common use of nuclear reactors is for the generation of electric energy and for the propulsion of ships. Heat from nuclear fission is used to raise steam, which runs through turbines, which in turn powers either ship's propellers or electrical generators. A few reactors manufacture isotopes for medical and industrial use, and some reactors are only operated for research. Mass defect The difference between the unbound system calculated mass and experimentally measured mass of nucleus is called mass defect. It is denoted by m. It can be calculated as follows: Mass defect = (unbound system calculated mass) - (measured mass of nucleus) i.e, (sum of masses of protons and neutrons) - (measured mass of nucleus) nuclear reaction is the process in which two nuclei, or else a nucleus of an atom and a subatomic particle (such as a proton, or high energy electron) from outside the atom, collide to produce products different from the initial particles. In principle, a reaction can involve more than three particles colliding, but because the probability of three or more nuclei to meet at the same time at the same place is much less than for two nuclei, such an event is exceptionally rare. Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one chemical element or isotope into another. In other words, atoms of one element can be changed into atoms of other element by 'transmutation'. This occurs either through nuclear reactions (in which an outside particle reacts with a nucleus), or through radioactive decay (where no outside particle is needed). Binding energy is the mechanical energy required to disassemble a whole into separate parts. A bound system typically has a lower potential energy than its constituent parts; this is what keeps the system togetheroften this means that energy is released upon the creation of a bound state. The usual convention is that this corresponds to a positive binding energy. Half-life is the period of time it takes for a substance undergoing decay to decrease by half. The name was originally used to describe a characteristic of unstable atoms (radioactive decay), but it may apply to any quantity which follows a set-rate decay.

 In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energy or waves travel through a medium or space. Ionizing (or ionising) radiation is radiation with sufficient energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule. This ionization produces free radicals, atoms or molecules containing unpaired electrons, which tend to be especially chemically reactive. Fusion or synthesis, it refers to the connection of two or more distinct things/bodies:

Cell fusion, an event in the maturation of cells

Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons Fission is a splitting of something into two parts. Fission may refer to:

In physics, nuclear fission is a process where a large atomic nucleus (such as uranium) is split into two smaller particles.