Chemistry Music Video 9: Nuclear Power To The People

Lyrics:

Einstein postulated, in reactions nuclear
The Laws of Conservation had boundaries that blur
Energy was given off, more than was its share
The equation that he got? E equals m c squared!

FISSION! FISSION! SPLIT APART! LOTS OF POWER AT ITS HEART!

If you shoot a neutron thats moving somewhat slow
Uranium two-thirty-five can pick it up and blow
It splits the nucleus into two smaller nuclei
And give off three more neutrons, just watch those suckers fly!

If those neutrons hit more U-235s
(once a moderator has slowed them down to size)
Then a chain reaction starts, things will get real hot
Put in the control rods if you want that not!

The heat thats given off is used in power plants
That actually makes most of the electricity in France
It powers aircraft carriers and also submarines
If not for radioactive waste it would be the stuff of dreams

Fissions when you split apart an atom of great size
Hit it hard and get a bunch of smaller nucleis
Fusions what you get when two small nuclei combine
Both give off lots of energy, according to Einstein

FUSION! FUSION! LIKE THE SUN! ENERGY FOR EVERYONE!

Hydrogen has isotopes like deuterium
When they come together they can make a helium
The process does create lots of energy from mass
But to make this sucker work, it must be hotter than a gas

Nuclei have protons and are thus positive charge
So they repel each other, especially when theyre large
So to get the nuclei to come together and have fun
You will need high temperature and pressure, like the sun!

The temperatures so hot that its in the plasma state
Everything plasma touches, in an instant deflagrates
You need to keep it bottled inside strong magnetic fields
So more energy is used than we can get in useful yields

Fissions when you split apart an atom of great size
Hit it hard and get a bunch of smaller nucleis
Fusions what you get when two small nuclei combine
And both will be the future for the power of mankind!