Radioactive Decay

RADIOACTIVITY VS. CHEMICAL REACTIONS

• CHEMICAL REACTIONS make new substances by rearranging atoms and forming bonds. The atoms do not change in the process.

• NUCLEAR REACTIONS instead involve a change in the nucleus and changes the atom…forming a different element.

WHAT IS RADIOACTIVITY?

• By late 1890s scientists noticed some substances spontaneously emitted radiation and called it RADIOACTIVITY.

• The particles emitted were called RADIATION where atoms change their identity in the process.

• Radioactivity happens because of unstable nuclei break down to more stable forms.

• This process is called RADIOACTIVE DECAY.

TYPES OF RADIATION?

1) ALPHA: Each alpha particle emits 2 protons and 2 neutrons.

What element is this equivalent to???

If Radium (Ra) -226 which has an atomic number of 88 and undergoes a decay of an alpha particle, how many protons will the new element have?

What element will it turn into?

What will the resulting mass be?

BETA RADIATION:

- Radiation that consists of fast moving negative particles called BETA PARTICLES.

- MASS OF THE ELEMENT DOES NOT CHANGE.

- THE ATOMIC NUMBER INCREASES BY 1.

- IF Carbon 14 has an atomic number of 6, and a beta particle was released…

- WHAT WOULD THE RESULTING ELEMENT BE?

GAMMA RADIATION

• High energy radiation that has no mass and no electric charge

COOL NUCLEAR SITES

• http://people.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/nuclear/nuclear.htm

• Where would you like to go to learn more???

• Radioactivity : The Pros and Cons

• Everyday Exposure to Radiation

• Modern Uses of Radioactive Isotopes

• Detection of Radiation and your Protection

• The Discovery of Radioactivity

• Nuclear Stability and Radioactive Decay

• Other Radioisotopes Found in Everyday Life

• Shedding Light on Some Common Misconceptions and Fears

• Social, Economic, and Political Concerns