The 23rd-century starship Enterprise uses a substance called dilithium crystals as its

Chapter 24, Problem 24.114

(choose chapter or problem)

The 23rd-century starship Enterprise uses a substance called dilithium crystals as its fuel. (a) Assuming that this material is the result of fusion, what is the product of the fusion of two 6 Li nuclei? (b) How much energy is released per kilogram of dilithium formed? (Mass of one 6 Li atom is 6.015121 amu.) (c) When four 1 H atoms fuse to form 4 He, how many positrons are released? (d) To determine the energy potential of the fusion processes in parts (b) and (c), compare the changes in mass per kilogram of dilithium and of 4 He. (e) Compare the change in mass per kilogram in part (b) to that for the formation of 4 He by the method used in current fusion reactors (see p. 1088). (For masses, see 24.91.) (f) Using early 21st-century fusion technology, how much tritium can be produced per kilogram of 6 Li in the following reaction: 6 3Li 1 1 0n - 4 2He 1 3 1H? When this amount of tritium is fused with deuterium, what is the change in mass? How does this quantity compare with the use of dilithium in part (b)?