Distinguish between stable and radioactive isotopes and describe the conditions under which a nucleus is unstable
Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons; BUT they have the same number of protons.
In nuclear chemistry, isotopes are shown in the following form:
• Chlorine-35 is written as 35Cl and Rubidium-85 is written as 85Rb
Isotopes can be divided in two categories, radioactive and stable.
Stable Isotopes are isotopes that are not radioactive. They have stable nuclei and pose no known physiological skills
Radioactive Isotopes is when the atom is unstable, it will attempt to gain stability by emitting radiation in one of the three main forms. A substance is radioactive when it emits this radiation. There are three types of radiation: α (alpha), β (beta) and γ (gamma) radiation:
• Alpha Decay: is made of ‘helium nucleus’ (2 protons and 2 neutrons) that are ejected from unstable large nuclei. Alpha radiation usually results when there are too many protons and neutrons in the nucleus for it to be stable. For example, the decay of uranium-238: • Beta Decay: is made up of electrons ejected from an unstable nucleus (too may neutrons); but nuclei do not contain electrons. Hence, the underlying reaction is the decomposition of a neutron: When neutron decomposes, it forms an electron, which is immediately ejected as beta radiation, and a proton (‘hydrogen nucleus’), which is captured by the nucleus. Thus, the beta decay results in an
The identity of each element is defined by the number of protons in its nucleus
Radiation (also known as nuclear radiation) refers to particles or waves emitted by radioactive substance. Nuclear radiation comes from the waves from a nucleus. Ionising radiation can
Urainum-238 has a half-life of around 4.5 billion years, meaning that half the atoms in any sample will decay in that amount of time (4.5 billion years). Uranium-238 emits alpha particles which are less powerful than other forms of radiation, and weak gamma rays. As long as it remains outside the body, uranium poses little health
Radioactivity is when energy is emitted from the nucleus due to the nucleus being unstable. The 3 types of radiation are Alpha ,Beta and gamma. Alpha particles have 2 protons and two neutrons. Examples of radioactive nuclei that emit alpha radiation. Are : uranium, thorium, actinium, and radium They are very ionising so they give energy off onto whatever they are in contact with. Therefore, it loses energy more quickly. They are not very penetrating so can be stopped by a piece of paper or skin. Beta particles have 1
To understand what a radioactive isotope is a basic understanding of the atom is necessary. Atoms are comprised of three subatomic particles : protons, neutrons and electrons. Protons and neutrons bind together to form the nucleus of the atom, while the electrons surround and orbit the
Strontium-90 is a pure β emitter, produced in nuclear fission of (235U and 239Pu fission reaction). When an atom of uranium-235 (or other fissile nuclide) fissions, usually splits asymmetric into two large fragments – fission products possessing mass
Nuclear moderator is a device used to slow down neutrons, the device is usually made from carbon in the form of graphite. The graphite will
The A simple definition of the word radioactiveis to have or develope a strong and dangerous form of energy. This could also be named radiation. A radioactive substance incvolves a very harmful form of energy that is developed betwen nuclear reactions. In the book "The Radioactive Boyscout" by ken Silversteint, there are several examples of radioactive substances being produced. The main character in the book is very as the title says "radioactive"
An isotope is the same atom but in a different form. The new atom would have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. Joseph Carter was the scientist who worked on the refinement of Uranium. Uranium is used because it has the largest atoms of any other natural element. The larger the atom is, the harder is is to stabilize. the lower the stabilization is, the easier it is for the nucleus to split and release energy. The use of U-235 would be used in one of the two ways of detonating a bomb which was the gun barrel way. The way this bomb works is, two pieces of U-235, individually not large enough to sustain a chain reaction, were brought together rapidly in a gun barrel to from a supercritical mass that exploded instantaneously. This method was never tested since confidence of the result was so
Nuclear waste is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process and the operation of nuclear power plants. One of the most common radioactive isotopes found in nuclear waste is plutonium-239, which is capable of causing cancer-related fatalities for millions of people in very small amounts. Other isotopes include iodine-129, cesium-137, and uranium-238, all of which are highly radioactive and have half-lives in the tens of
only four exist in nature. The most stable isotope is radium 226, and it has a half-life of 1600
It also emits neutrons, beta particles and gamma rays. It is considered toxic, in part, because if it were to be inhaled it could deposit in the lungs and eventually cause damage. There are five "common" isotopes of plutonium, PU-238, PU-239, PU-240, PU-241, and PU-242. These are all "fissionable" – the atom's nucleus can easily split apart if it is struck by a neutron. PU-239 has a half-life of 24,100 years and PU-241’s half-life is 14.4 years. Substances with shorter half-lives decay more quickly than those with longer half-lives, so they emit more energetic radioactivity. Like any radioactive isotopes, plutonium isotopes transform when they decay. They might become different plutonium isotopes or different elements, such as uranium or neptunium. Many of these "daughter products" are themselves radioactive. (“Backgrounder on Plutonium”).
Cobalt decays to form Nickel-60. As it decomposes, it releases gamma radiation. Beta particles also occur when Carbon-60 decays (4). The nuclear
Radioactivity is defined as “the spontaneous emission of particles”. (Nuclear Energy). Radioactivity is caused by an unbalanced nucleus in the cell. This happens because there is either an uneven number of protons and/or neutrons. When this happens, the element is considered to have multiple isotopes. An isotope is an atom with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. Thus, they have different atomic weights. This is important to know because there is a such thing as a radioactive isotope. These elements just have additional energy, and they release radiation in different forms. “There are over 800 radioactive isotopes, some of which are natural and some synthetic.” (Helmenstine). Radioactive elements can be both artificial and natural. However, in medicine, most of them are more than likely synthetic, since they are the most popular types.
Nuclear fission can be either a nuclear reaction or a radioactive decay process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts (lighter nuclei) often producing free neutrons and photons, which are in the form of gamma rays. This releases an extremely large amount of energy. The two nuclei produced are usually similar sizes, though slightly different (usual mass ratio is about 3 to 2), for common fissile isotopes. Most fissions produce two charged fragments (known as a binary fission), but sometimes three positively charged fragments are produced (ternary fission). In a ternary fission, the size of the smallest fragment can be anywhere between the size of a proton to the size of an argon nucleus. When producing nuclear energy/power in a reactor,