Nuclear Chemistry

Chapter 21
Nuclear Chemistry
 Study of nuclear reactions and their
uses in chemistry
 nuclear reactions – change in matter
originating in the nucleus of an atom
 radioactive – nuclei spontaneously
changing and emitting radiation
Nuclear Chemistry

 Subatomic particles are involved

 proton and neutron  nucleons
 Can be determined by atomic number and
mass number
 Same atomic number, different mass
number  isotope
 Radioactive nuclei  radionuclide
 Atoms with radionuclides  radioisotopes
Nuclear Chemistry
 Radionuclides
 Unstable
 Emit particles and electromagnetic
radiation
 Radioactive decay
Radioactive Decay
 1 – alpha radiation α
 Helium - 4 particles, aka alpha particles
 4 He
2

 238 U  23490Th + 42He

92
Alpha radiation - Sample

 What product is formed when radium-

226 undergoes alpha decay?
 226 Ra  222 Rn + 4 He
88 86 2

 What element undergoes alpha decay

to form lead-208?
 212 Po  208 Pb + 4 He
84 82 2
Radioactive decay
 2 – beta radiation β
 High speed e-
 0 e or 0 β
-1 -1

 131 I  13154Xe + 0-1e

53
Radioactive decay
 3 – gamma radiation γ
 High energy photons
 0 γ
0

 Energy lost when nucleons reorganize

Radioactive decay
 4 – positron emission
 Same mass as e-, opposite charge
 0 e
1

 11C  115B + 01e

6

 Positron can convert proton to neutron

Radioactive decay
 5 – electron capture
 Capture of electron by nucleus from
electron cloud
 0 e consumed, not formed
-1
Electron Capture - Sample
 Write nuclear equations for the
following processes:
 a) Mercury-201 undergoes electron
capture
 b) Thorium-231 decays to form
protactinium-231
 a) 20180Hg + 0-1e  20179Au
 b) 23190Th  23191Pa + 0-1e
Electron Capture-Sample 2
 Write a balanced nuclear equation for
the reaction in which oxygen-15
undergoes positron emission
 15O  157N + 01e
8
Nuclear Transmutations
 Nuclei changed by being struck by
neutron or nucleus
 Commonly represented by listing in
order the target nucleus, the
bombarding particles, the ejected
particles, the product nucleus
 14
7N (α,p)178O
 14 N + 4 He  1 p + 17 O
7 2 1 8
Nuclear Transmutations-
Sample
 Write the balanced nuclear equation
for the process summarized as 2713Al
(n, α) 2411Na
 27
13 Al + 10n  42He + 2411Na
 Using shorthand notation, write the
nuclear reaction 168O + 11H  137N +
4 He
2
 16O (p, α) 42He
8