The Disintegration of the Nuclei of Light Atoms by Neutrons. II. Neon, Fluorine and Carbon

Neon and fluorine. Quantitative information is presented on the disintegration, by capture of a neutron, of 11 nuclei of neon and 13 of fluorine. The reactions are considered to be: $\{{}_{10}{}^{20}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Ne}_0^{}{}_{}{}^{}+{}_0{}^1{}_{}{}^{}n_1^{}{}_{}{}^{},\to {}_8{}^{17}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{O}_1^{}{}_{}{}^{}+{}_2{}^4{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{He}_0^{}{}_{}{}^{}\}\{{}_9{}^{19}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{F}_1^{}{}_{}{}^{}+{}_0{}^1{}_{}{}^{}n_1^{}{}_{}{}^{},\to {}_7{}^{16}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{N}_2^{}{}_{}{}^{}+{}_2{}^4{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{He}_0^{}{}_{}{}^{}\}$ in which nitrogen 16 is a new isotope of nitrogen. As in the earlier work on nitrogen, it is found that: (1) Neutrons effective in disintegration appear both to come directly from the source and to be scattered by nuclear impact prior to the disintegration. (2) Kinetic energy disappears in the process, or is (rarely) conserved. This kinetic energy decrement may be transformed into mass, if mass increases in the reaction, or into $\gamma$-rays; it may also excite the heavier product nucleus and later give rise to an artificial radioactivity. (3) The maximum, minimum and average kinetic energy for the neutrons which in our experiments have been found to disintegrate fluorine, neon and nitrogen are listed below in the table.