Exploring Nuclear Chemistry: Types, Kinetics, Fission, Fusion
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Chapter 19 Nuclear Chemistry Suroviec Spring 2015
I. Types of Radiation • Radioactivity was discovered in 1896 by Bequerel and further work was done by Curie and Rutherford.
A X Mass Number Element Symbol Z Atomic Number A. Isotope review
B. Alpha decay • Alpha decay occurs when an unstable nucleus emits a particle composed of 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
C. Beta decay • Beta decay occurs when an unstable nucleus emits an electron
D. Gamma rays • Gamma ray emission is a high energy/short wavelength electromagnetic radiation.
E. Positron emission • Positron emission occurs when an unstable nucleus emits a positron
F. Electron capture • Electron capture involves a particle being absorbed by instead of ejected from an unstable nucleus
II. Kinetics of radioactivity • Radioactivity is the spontaneous emission by unstable nuclei of particle or electromagnetic radiation to get to a stable configuration. • All radioactive decay is first order kinetics
Example • A tree sample has an activity of 10.1 atoms/min of carbon. If a living tree has a decay rate of 15.3 atoms/min, how old is the tree sample?
Example • Americium-241 is used in smoke detectors. Its half life is 432 years. How long will it take for 33% of the Am-241 to decay (in years)?
III. Fission • Enrico Fermi tried to synthesize a new element by bombarding uranium with neutrons
A. Nuclear power • Fission can be used to make a bomb, but in that case all of the energy is released at once.
IV. Nuclear Fusion • Fusion is the combination of 2 nuclei to form a heavier nuclei.
IV. Radiation in everyday life Relative Biological Effectiveness Radiation absorbed dose (rad) 1 rad = 1 x 10-5 J/g of material g-ray = 1 Roentgen equivalent for man (rem) b = 1 1 rem = 1 rad x RBE a = 20
A. Uses in Medicine • It is immensely useful to use radioactivity in medical diagnosis