Energy of Fusion In a hypothetical nuclear fusion reactor, two deuterium nuclei combine or ''fuse'' to form one helium nucleus. The mass of a deuterium nucleus, expressed in atomic mass units (u), is 20136 u; the mass of a helium nucleus is 4.00l5u (1 u = 1.6605402 x 10-27 kg).
(a) How much energy is released when 1.0 kg of deuterium undergoes fusion?
(b) The annual consumption of electrical energy in the United States is of the order of 1.0 x 1019 J. How much deuterium must react to produce this much energy?