8.

1 Discovery of Radioactivity
Wilhelm Conrad His wife hand X-ray tube
Roentgen

 In 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, a German physicist, discovered X-ray. He had

unintentionally taken an X-ray photograph of his wife’s hand. This success led
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen to receive the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 for the
discovery of X-ray.
 Henri Becquerel Blackened photographic Rays emitted from the
plate nucleus of uranium

 In 1896, Antoine Henri Becquerel, a French physicist, became the first person to
successfully discover radioactivity. He found a radioactive compound, uranium and
unintentionally produced rays that can blacken a photographic plate even in the
dark. The rays were detected based on the ionising property. Due to this, Antoine
Henri Becquerel received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 for the discovery of
radioactivity.
 More stable radium

Less stable radium

Marie and Pierre Curie

 At the end of 1897, Marie and Pierre Curie, a married couple from Poland, successfully
detected radioactive radiation through its ionising power and not through the
photographic effect. Beginning with uranium ore which is known as pitchblende, they
successfully extracted two radioactive elements, polonium and radium.
 However, Marie Curie died at the age of 67 from a disease caused by prolonged
exposure to gamma rays. Since the discovery of radium, the gamma rays emitted
by radium have been used in various fields including machine in cancer treatment.
 Before that, what is gamma ray?
The first gamma ray source to be discovered was the radioactive decay process
called gamma decay. In this type of decay, an excited nucleus emits a gamma ray
almost immediately upon formation. Paul Villard, a French chemist and physicist,
discovered gamma radiation in 1900, while studying radiation emitted from radium.
They are produced by the hottest and most energetic objects in the universe,
such as neutron stars and pulsars, supernova explosions, and regions around black
holes. On Earth, gamma waves are generated by nuclear explosions, lightning, and
the less dramatic activity of radioactive decay. Gamma rays are used in medicine
(radiotherapy), industry (sterilization and disinfection) and the nuclear
industry. Shielding against gamma rays is essential because they can cause
diseases to skin or blood, eye disorders and cancers.
 Radiotheraphy:
 What is cancer radiotherapy and how does it work? | Cancer Research UK -
YouTube
 Radioactivity refers to the particles which are emitted from nuclei which are
unstable. A nucleus that is unstable is called radioactive. A radioactive nucleus
decays by emitting radiation. The radiation can be of several types, most likely
alpha, beta, and gamma.
 The radioactivity is the spontaneous process of decomposition of an unstable
nucleus by radiating radioactive radiation.
 Radioactive substances are substances with unstable nuclei in their atoms that will
undergo decaying and emit radioactive radiation.
 Radioactive radiation
 Decay of Uranium -238
A nucleus of uranium 238 decays by alpha emission to form a daughter nucleus, thorium
234.

 The nucleus of Uranium-238 contains 92 protons and 146 neutrons. Uranium-238 has an atomic number of
92. The mass number of this uranium is 238. 238 is the total of particles in the nucleus (92 + 146 = 238)
 Then, it decays into thorium-234 that has 90 protons and 144 neutrons. Helium nucleus which contains a
mass number of 4 and an atomic number of 2 also a gamma ray has been emitted in the decay.
 234+4 = 238 particles of mass and 90+2= 92 atoms

 A tiny amount of mass also has been disappeared in the process and become energy.
 Decay of thorium-234

 In this beta decay, a thorium-234 nucleus has one more proton than the original
nucleus. In this beta decay, a thorium-234 nucleus has become a protactinium-234
nucleus which contains 234 protons and 91 neutrons
 When thorium-234 decays, it releases negatively charged radiation called beta
particles. A beta particle is an electron emitted by an unstable nucleus.
 234+0=234 particles of mass
 91+(-1)=90 atoms
 Decay of cobalt-60*

Less stable More stable

 While cobalt 60 is itself unstable, it does not emit gamma radiation of sufficient
energy to make its surroundings radioactive. Every 5.27 years, cobalt 60 loses 50%
of its radioactivity. This is the result of its nuclei becoming stable after emitting
gamma radiation.
 The radioactive decay is a random and spontaneous process, in which an unstable
nucleus radiates radioactive radiation until the nucleus becomes more stable.
 Example:-
 Carbon-14 (C-14)
 Radon -222 (Rn-222)
 Thorium-234 ( Th-234)
 Uranium-238 ( U-238)
 The first measurement unit of radioactivity and its symbol introduced by Marie and
Pierre Curie is curie, Ci.
 The rate of unstable nuclei decay or activity in nuclei decay is measured in curie.
 One curie (1 Ci) is 3.7× 1010 decays/s
 The S.I. unit of radioactivity is Becquerel (Bq). 1 Becquerel (Bq) is 1 decay per
second.
Measuring Radiation - YouTube
 Half-life, T ½ is the time taken for the number of undecayed nuclei to be reduced to half
of its original number (value). The graphic description of the situation when the number
of undecayed nuclei decreases with time .

 What is the unit for half-life? > Time Pg 235

 Explanation: The units of half-life are time. The half-life is the length of time that it takes
for half of an initial sample to undergo a change
 It's easy misinterpret half-life to mean “one half of the time it takes for whatever atoms
you're looking at to decay,” but it actually means “the length of time it takes for one
half of the atoms you're looking at to decay.”
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8bJ2CXmf9M
Pg 235
Pg 236
Pg 236/237
1. Name the first person who discovered :
 The x-ray > Wilhelm Roentgen
 Radioactive radiation > Henri Becquerel
 Gamma rays emmited by radium > Marie and Pierre Curie
2. What is the meaning of radioactivity?
 Radioactivity is the spontaneous decay process of an unstable nucleus by emitting radioactive
radiation.
3. a) Name two units of radioactivity.
 curie (Ci), becquerel (Bq)
b) What is the quantity measured in radioactivity unit?
 The decay rate of an unstable nucleus.
4. Give three examples of radioactive elements.
 Carbon-14 (C-14), Thorium-232 (Th-232), Uranium-238 (U-238)
5. What is the meaning of half-life ?
 Half-life, T , is the time taken for the number of undecayed nuclei to be reduced to half of its
original value