NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY

7.5
The Discovery of Radiation
 Wilhelm Roentgen – Discovered X rays in 1895.
The Discovery of Radiation
 Henri Becquerrel – accidently discovered
radioacitivity in 1896 when he left a uranium salt in
a desk drawer on a photographic plate.
He hypothesized that the salt was g
giving off some type of energy.
 Marie and Pierre Curie – studied radioactivity in
the late 1800s and early 1900s.
 Radiation poisoning took Marie

Curies life.
 She won the Nobel Prize in 1903

(They were super excited about it!)

Introduction to Nuclear Chemistry
 The Nucleus – the protons and neutrons in the
center of the atom that make up the positive charge.
 Positive protons should repel from one another, why
do they stay together in the nucleus?
 The Strong Force – the force in the nucleus that
causes protons and neutrons to attract to one
another.
 Typically in large or unstable nuclei the repulsion
of the positive protons overcomes the strong force
and nuclei decay.
Radioactivity
 Radioactivity – The process of nuclear decay
 Decay depends on nuclear stability. If an isotope of
an atom is radioactive it is called a radioisotope.
Chemical Symbols
 A chemical symbol looks like…
mass #
14
6 C
atomic #
 To find the number of neutrons , subtract the
atomic number from the mass number.
Common Radioisotopes
Types of Radioactivity
 Alpha particle – a particle of two protons and two
neutrons that comes from a radioisotope. Often
referred to as a Helium Nucleus.
 Beta Particle – an electron emmitted from the
nucleus of a radioisotope.
 Gamma Rays – a form of radiation that is a
powerful electromagnetic wave
Measuring Radiation
 Geiger Counter – a device that measures
radioactivity by producing an electric current when
radiation is present.
Half-Life
 Half life is the time required for half of a
radioisotope’s nuclei to decay into its products.
 For any radioisotope,
# of ½ lives % Remaining
0 100%
1 50%
2 25%
3 12.5%
4 6.25%
5 3.125%
6 1.5625%
Half-Life
 For example, suppose you have 10.0 grams of
strontium – 90, which has a half life of 29 years.
How much will be remaining after x number of
years? # of ½ lives Time (Years) Amount
Remaining (g)
 You can use a table: 0 0 10
1 29 5
2 58 2.5
3 87 1.25
4 116 0.625
Half-Life

Half-Life
100

90

80

70
% Remaining

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

# of Half-Lives
Nuclear Fusion and Nuclear
Fission

 A fusion reaction is a nuclear

reaction that combines, or fuses,
two smaller nuclei into a larger
nucleus.
 It is difficult to make fusion
reactions occur because
positively charged nuclei repel
each other.
 All stars, including the sun,
generate energy through fusion.
Nuclear Fusion and Nuclear
Fission

 A fission reaction splits up

a large nucleus into smaller
pieces.
 A fission reaction typically
happens when a neutron
hits a nucleus with enough
energy to make the nucleus
unstable.
 Examples-atomic bomb
Uses of Radiation
 Radioactive dating - Carbon - 14 used to determine
the age of an object that was once alive.
 Radiation to target cancer cells
 X-rays
 Medical tests using radioactive dyes, called tracers
 Sterilizing equipment using radioactive rays
 Smoke Detectors – alpha decay of americium 241
Chemical vs. Nuclear Reactions
Chemical Reactions
Occur when bonds are broken
Atoms remain unchanged, although they
may be rearranged
Involve only valence electrons
Associated with small energy changes
Nuclear Reactions
Occur when nuclei emit particles and/or
rays
Atoms often converted into atoms of
another element
May involve protons, neutrons, and
electrons
Associated with large energy changes