Nuclear Chemistry (CH 24)

Learning Objectives (aka Quiz Question Topics)

After completing this topic, a student should be able to demonstrate understanding of the
concepts in this topic by
1. describing how nuclear changes differ, in general, from chemical changes (§24.1).
2. defining the meanings of radioactivity, nucleon, nuclide, and isotope (§24.1).
3. comparing and contrasting the characteristics of the modes of radioactive decay:  decay, –
decay, positron (+) decay, electron capture, spontaneous fission, and decay (§24.1).
4. describing how each different type of radioactive decay affects the values of the mass
number (A) and atomic number (Z) (§24.1).
5. predicting whether beta decay, positron decay or electron capture is most likely given the
neutron-to-proton ratio for an unstable nuclide (§24.1).
6. describing how the neutron-to-proton ratios of the stable nuclides change as their mass
number increases (§24.1).
7. describing the meaning and significance of “half-life” in the context of radioactive decay
(§24.2).
8. explaining why the mass of a nucleus is less than the total mass of its nucleons and how this
mass difference is related to the nuclear binding energy (§24.6).
9. explaining how nuclear stability is related to binding energy per nucleon, and predicting the
trend of nuclides to undergo either fission or fusion (§24.6).
10. explaining the current application of fission and potential application of fusion to produce
energy, and the function of a nuclear power plant (§24.7).

After completing this topic, a student should be able to demonstrate the following skills in this
topic by
1. identifying the mass number, atomic number, and number of electrons in an atom
described using AZ X notation.
2. balancing nuclear equations using changes in the values of the mass number and atomic
number of the species involved.
3. calculating the decay rate constant, half-life, and number of nuclei decaying or remaining
in a given nuclear decay process.

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