I would think that neutrons can break up any nucleus apart. Why not just use aluminium or iron. Is it because of E=mc^2 ? Greater mass equals greater energy? Would a bomb made of another material be less radioactive?
TIA
In: 30
A lot of wrong or incomplete answers here. It has very little to do with the stability or radioactivity of an element/isotope.
The answer is because bombarding Uranium 235 or Plutonium 239 with neutrons causes those atoms to split apart and in the process they release more than 1 neutron themselves. These additional neutrons then hit other U235 or P239 atoms, which then creates more neutrons causing a chain reaction. The self sustaining chain reaction is what is important, not the spontaneous radioactivity or stability.
U235 and P239 are not even that radioactive, and they are not the most radioactive isotopes of Uranium and Plutonium.
Elements like Radium are orders of magnitude more radioactive than U235 and P239, but do not have the neutron releasing properties to make usable fissile material for atom bombs or atomic power reactors.
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