Radioactivity

Antoine Henri Becquerel

nobel laureate

Antoine Henri Becquerel

first person to discover evidence of radioactivity (nuclear reactions)

Radioactivity

involves the spontaneous emission of particles or ionizing radiation by unstable nuclei

Unstable Nuclei

radioactive, referred to as radionuclides

Unstable Nuclei

tends to undergo radioactive decay into a more stable different nuclide

Alpha Particle

Electron

Positron

Proton

Neutron

Types of Radioactive Decay

ALPHA EMISSION, BETA EMISSION, POSITRON EMISSION, ELECTRON CAPTURE, GAMMA EMISSION

Alpha Emission

Emission of an α–particle (a helium nucleus)

Beta Emission

Emission of a β–particle (a high-speed electron)

Positron Emission

Emission of a positron (a particle that has the same mass as an electron but positive charge)

Beta Emission

Positron Emission

Electron Capture

addition of an electron to a proton in the nucleus

Electron Capture

as a result, a proton is transformed into a neutron

Gamma Emission

emission of a γ–ray (high energy radiation)

Gamma Emission

almost always accompanies the loss of a nuclear particle

Nuclear Fission

splitting of a nucleus into smaller parts

Nuclear Fission

releases large amount of energy

Nuclear Fission

induced by bombarding a nuclide w/ n, e or etc

Nuclear Fusion

reactions in which two or more elements fuse together to form one larger element