Nuclear Chemistry

JAN KENNEY D. GONZALES

(Chemistry Instructor)

Discussion Outline
• Introduction
• Components of Matter
• Nuclear Reactions
• Natural Radioactivity
• Balance Nuclear Reactions
• Nuclear Kinetics
 • Nuclear Processes (Fission and Fusion)
Introduction
• Nuclear chemistry is a branch of chemistry that deals with
processes involving substances that undergo reactions
and involves the nucleus. It involves the study of the
changes within the nuclei of atoms and the emission of
energetic particles due to these nuclei changes.

• Began with the discovery of natural radioactivity by

Antoine Becquerel and grew as a result of subsequent
investigation by Pierre and Marie Curie and many others.

• Politically associated with nuclear weapons • Controversies

and on the peaceful use of nuclear energy and radioactive
wastes
 Google Images

Components of Matter
• The inner or central part of the atom was
the nucleus, which contains protons and
neutrons.

• The outer part around the nucleus was

referred as the electron cloud region,
where electrons can be found.

• All nuclei contain two kinds of fundamental

particles, called protons and neutrons. These
particles are also called nucleons.
Components of Matter
• Most elements occur in nature as a mixture of isotopes, atoms with the characteristic
number of protons of the element but different numbers of neutrons.

• For example, oxygen has three naturally occurring isotopes, and carbon also has three,
but tin has ten, the most of any element. Thus, each isotope of an element has a

different nuclide.
Components of Matter
Nuclear Reaction
Chemical Reaction vs Nuclear Reaction

Nuclear Reaction
• Radioactivity is the spontaneous disintegration or decay of an atom due to nuclear
instability which results to radioactive emission

• Radiation is the energy associated with the release of energetic particles when an
atom undergoes decay
Natural Radioactivity
Types of Radioactive Decay
Natural Radioactivity
Natural Radioactivity
Natural Radioactivity
Balancing Nuclear Reaction
• When a nuclide decays, it becomes a nuclide of lower energy, and the
excess energy is carried off by the emitted radiation and the recoiling
nucleus. The decaying, or reactant, nuclide is called the parent; the
product nuclide is called the daughter.

• the total Z (charge, number of protons) and the total A (sum of protons
and neutrons) of the reactants equal those of the products:

Balancing Nuclear Reaction

ALPHA (α) DECAY or ALPHA EMISSION

• First mode of radioactive decay is the alpha decay. Alpha decay was characterized by the
emission of alpha particle (α). An alpha particle is a helium nucleus and can be written as;

• For each α particle emitted by the parent, A decreases by 4 and Z decreases by 2 in the
daughter.

Balancing Nuclear Reaction

BETA (β) DECAY or BETA EMISSION

• Beta (β) decay is a general class of radioactive decay that encompasses three modes: β−
decay, β+ emission, and electron capture.

1.) β− decay (or negatron emission) occurs through the ejection of a β− particle
(highspeed electron) from the nucleus. This change does not involve expulsion of a β−
particle that was in the nucleus; rather, a neutron is converted into a proton, which
remains in the nucleus, and a β− particle, which is expelled immediately:

Balancing Nuclear Reaction

2.) Positron (β+) emission is the emission of a β+ particle from the nucleus. A
key idea of modern physics is that most fundamental particles have corresponding
antiparticles with the same mass but opposite charge. The positron is the
antiparticle of the electron. Positron emission occurs through a process in which a
proton in the nucleus is converted into a neutron and a positron, which is expelled:

,
Example s:

Balancing Nuclear Reaction

3.) Electron (e−) capture (EC) occurs when the nucleus draws in an electron from a low
atomic energy level. The net effect is that a proton is transformed into a neutron:

Examples:

Balancing Nuclear Reaction

GAMMA DECAY or GAMMA EMISSION

• A gamma ray, or γ-particle, involves the radiation of high-energy γ photons (also called
γ rays) from an excited nucleus.

Examples

Balancing Nuclear Reaction

Exercises: Create and write the appropriate nuclear reaction process in the
word problems in the following.

1. Thorium-232 undergoes three cycles of alpha decay.

2. An electron capture happened with an aluminum-25.

3. A beta emission followed by alpha emission of californium – 256.

Nuclear Kinetics
• Predictive applications were one of the uses of nuclear chemistry, common use of it was in
carbon dating. But how it is possible to compute how old an object was by looking at the
carbon-14 content?
• Chemical kinetics was pioneered to calculate certain parameters in chemical reactions such as
the rate constant, concentration or amount of a substance before and after the reaction and
the time it takes for the reaction to occur.

• Though nuclear chemistry was, somehow, on a different category, chemical kinetic

expressions can also be used to calculate and describe the nuclear reactions.
Nuclear Kinetics
• For simple nuclear kinetic problems, we can use the form of first order kinetics
formula. • Where: [A] = final amount of
the nuclide (units are arbitrary), (Example: g or mg) [A]0 = initial amount of nuclide
k = rate constant
t = the time it takes for the reaction to occur

• You can also use the formula instead of eq. 1

• Note: You can use any of the two.

Nuclear Kinetics
Exercises: Solve the following problems
1. Thorium-232 undergoes three cycles of alpha decay? It started from a 2.6 g and then
become 1.23 g after 2.65 mins. Calculate the rate of decay (k) of thorium-232.

2. How much time will it need for a radioactive iodine-131 to decay from 1.25 mg to
0.90 mg where its decay rate was calculated to be 0.06825 mg/year?
Nuclear Kinetics
Half Life

In nuclear chemistry, half-life (t1/2) of a radioactive element is the time required for
half the nuclei in a sample to decay.
Nuclear Kinetics
• One of the most important application of Nuclear Chemistry in archeology is by utilizing the
carbon-14 degradation which scientists use to know how old a fossil was.

Nuclear Kinetics
Example Exercises: Solve the following problems

1. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years. Show the changes in 100mg of C-14 up to
5 half lives.

Nuclear Kinetics
Example Exercises: Solve the following problems

2. The half-life of Zn-71 is 2.4 minutes. If one had 100.0 g at the beginning, how
many grams would be left after 7.2 minutes has elapsed?
Nuclear Kinetics
Exercises: Solve the following problems

1. After 24.0 days, 2.00 milligrams of an original 128.0 milligram sample remain. What is the half
life of the sample?
Solution
 The decimal fraction remaining:
2.00 mg / 128.0 mg = 0.015625

How many half-lives must have elapsed to get to 0.015625 remaining?

(1/2)n = 0.015625
n log 0.5 = log 0.015625
n = log 0.015625 / log 0.5
n=6

Determine the half-life:

24 days / 6 half-lives = 4.00 days

Nuclear Kinetics
Exercises: Solve the following problems

2.) 100.0 grams of an isotope with a half-life of 36.0 hours is present at time zero. How much time
will have elapsed when 5.00 grams remains?
Solution:

5.00 / 100.0 = 0.05 (decimal fraction remaining)

(1/2)n = 0.05
n log 0.5 = log 0.05
n = 4.32 half-lives
36.0 hours x 4.32 = 155.6 hours
Nuclear Processes
• In nuclear chemistry, there are two types of processes that describe the nature of
nuclear reaction the nuclide undergoes. Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fusion.

• Combining two light nuclei to form a heavier, more stable nucleus. This process is
 called fusion.

• Splitting a heavy nucleus into two nuclei with smaller mass numbers. This process
is called fission.
Nuclear Fission
Nuclear Fission
• the splitting of a heavy element producing lighter elements, neutrons, and energy
• amount of energy emitted is one million times more than a typical chemical
reaction • uncontrolled fission chain reaction is the basis of atomic bombs •
controlled fission reaction is produced in a nuclear reactor of nuclear power plants.
Nuclear Fission
Controlled nuclear fission: Nuclear Power Plant
Nuclear Fission
Nuclear Power Plant
• operates by a controlled fission reaction.
• generates heat and boils water, producing steam, which then turns the turbine on a generator to produce
electricity.
• uses about 100 lbs of fuel per day and produces enough electricity for a city of approximately 1 million people
while a coal-burning power plant requires 5 million lbs of fuel to produce the equivalent amount of energy.
• has the potential to produce electric power much more cleanly than can the combustion of coal – no
problems associated with fossil fuels such as air pollution, greenhouse gases, or acid rain. • most significant
disadvantages are waste disposal and the potential for accidents.

Reactant Core
• contains the fuel rods, which consist of fuel enclosed in tubes of a corrosion resistant zirconium alloy . -
control rods- movable rods capable of speeding up or slowing down the chain reaction . - moderator-
acts as the coolant, the fluid that transfers the released heat to the steam-producing region.

Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear Fusion
• a nuclear reaction in which lighter nuclide combines to produce bulkier or
larger nuclide. Large quantities of energy are also produced in this process.
• releases ten times more energy per gram than fission • basis of modern
nuclear weapons such as hydrogen bombs

• In fact, stars produce their energy through nuclear fusion. Our sun, which presently
consists of 73% hydrogen, 26% helium, and 1% other elements, gives off vast quantities of
energy from the fusion of protons to form helium: