Let’s assume that I have a sub-critical mass of pure uranium hexafluoride (UF6), all of them U235. I bombard the UF6 with neutrons, simulating a nuclear reaction.
What will happen? Note that the neutrons are hitting uranium atoms, not nuclei.
Will the fluorine atoms get split up in the process, due to the neutrons?
Or will the fluorine react with whatever that is produced out of the splitting of the uranium?
Or will the fluorine atoms react with each other to form fluorine gas?
U235? Shouldn’t this be in the “technical bomb making Questions” area of the message board?
I believe that the ionization potential of the nuclear processes will have an effect overwhelming the chemical reaction by many orders of magnitude. What products would be produced would be strongly variable, and proceed only after the energy of nuclear reactions had dissipated.
So to be more succinct, I don’t know.
“It should be possible to explain the laws of physics to a barmaid.” ~ Albert Einstein ~
“You should see the place where Einstein used to drink!” ~ Triskadecamus ~