Concept Of Binding Energy

When any particle gets bound to a system, there is some energy exchange between the system and its surroundings due to the binding of the particle. A similar thing happens when the bound particle gets released from the system. The energy exchange could be possible either way. The system releases energy into the surroundings or takes up energy from the surroundings.

Now when the particle is getting into a system and binding to it, there is a net release of energy because of the attractive forces working between the system and the particle. On the other hand, if the particle has to be free of that system and get released, it needs to break those attractive forces and come out as an independent entity. The particle requires energy from the surroundings to do the same, which is, in scientific terms, known as the binding energy.

Binding energy is the amount of energy required to separate a particle from the system where it is bound to various other particles. This system could be an atom, a nucleus of an atom, or atoms and ions bound in crystal structures. That is, when a particle is bound in a system and has to exit the same, a minimal amount of energy is needed to be given to the particle for it to break free of all the interactions it was having in the system and leave the system. Therefore, it is also called separation energy.

Types of Binding Energy –

There are several types of binding energies based on what system is being discussed. Some have been listed below:

1. Atomic binding energy.

The minimum amount of energy required to separate the subatomic particles is to break the atom into its constituent free electrons and nucleus.

2. Bond dissociation energy.

The binding energy between the constituent atoms of a chemical bond is known as the bond dissociation energy. As the name says, it is the energy required to break the bonds in the molecule to atoms.

3. Ionisation energy.

Ionisation energy is the energy required to ionise an atom, that is, to push an electron out of the atomic system where it was revolving in its orbit around the nucleus.

4. Nuclear binding energy.

The amount of energy required to break a nucleus into its constituent nucleons, that is, neutrons and protons, is the nuclear binding energy.

Nuclear Binding Energy-

Inside the nucleus are present protons and neutrons, which are bound together to stay in the nucleus itself. It has been found that the mass of protons and neutrons taken independently is always more or less greater than the mass of the nucleus (that is, the combined mass of the two). This decrease in mass during binding was explained by Einstein’s mass-energy relation, that is

E= mc²

Where the nuclear binding energy corresponds to the decrease in mass when neutrons and protons bind together in the nucleus. The decrease in mass of the nucleus as compared to the mass of constituent protons and neutrons added is known the mass defect and is given by,

𝜟M= {Z_mp + {A-Z}_mn} -M

Thus nuclear binding energy is simply the energy that will be released when a certain number of neutrons and protons will be brought together to form a nucleus, or the energy required when such a nucleus has to be disrupted.

Conclusion

The key takeaways from the above article are that binding energy is the result of new interactions that happen between a particle and the system when the particle enters the system and that the strength of these interactions is what denotes binding energy. Binding energy is the energy required to take the particle out of the system. Binding energy can be of various types like ionisation energy, nuclear binding energy, bond dissociation energy and more. Nuclear binding energy is the amount of energy required when a nucleus is disrupted, and the protons and neutrons fall apart. The concept of nuclear binding energy is also related to the mass defect seen in nucleus formation.