atomic structure and nuclear equations
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8/6/2019 Atomic Structure and Nuclear Equations
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Atomic Structure and Nuclear Notation
http://phy.si
Test explosion, Nevada, 1953
Atomic dissection: an atom is
made up of a central nucleus,
composed of protons and neutrons, surrounded by
“shells” of orbiting electrons.
Nuclear reactions are extremely violent, both on
a subatomic and a macroscopic (big) scale.
To study these, we must first look at the protons,
neutrons and electrons that make up atoms, and howthese interact with one another…
Atomic Particles
Particle SymbolRelative
mass
Relative
charge
Proton
Neutron
Electron
Atomic Structure
How many electrons, protons and neutrons does this atom have?
Remember!
Atoms normally contain the same number of
electrons as protons, so are neutrally charged.
An ion is an atom which has lost or gained an
electron, so has an overall char e.
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Atomic Structure and Nuclear Notation
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Nuclear Notation
Atomic Number
Mass Number
Isotopes
The number of protons in a nucleus determines what element it is. All atoms of oxygen
contain eight protons. All atoms of carbon contain six protons.
However, a nucleus can contain a different number of neutrons.
Isotopes of Lithium: how many protons does each one have? And how many neutrons?
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Atomic Structure and Nuclear Notation
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Worked Examples
Uranium-238 decays to Thorium by emitting an alpha particle. Complete the following decay
equation to show this.
Carbon-14 decays to Nitrogen by emitting a beta particle. Complete the following decay
equation to show this.
Protactinium-234 decays to Uranium by emitting a beta particle. Complete the followingdecay equation to show this.
Plutonium-240 decays to Uranium by emitting an alpha particle. Complete the following
decay equation to show this.
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The following radioactive isotopes decay via the emission of either an alpha or a beta
particle. For each decay complete the balanced equation.
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Atomic Structure and Nuclear Notation
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