Nuclear Chemistry Review

Flashcards for Nuclear Chemistry Review, covering particle types, nuclear reactions, reactor components, and half-life calculations.

The number 52 represents the __ in Cr-52.

mass number

In Cl-35, the number 35 represents the __.

mass number

In Cl-17, the number 17 represents the or number of .

atomic number; protons

The symbol for an alpha particle is __.

4/2 He or "α"

An alpha particle has a mass number of and a charge of . Paper can shield you from it.

4; +2

The symbol for a beta particle is __.

0/-1 e or "β"

A beta particle has a mass number of and a charge of . Its origin is a neutron splitting into a and a .

0; -1; proton; electron

The symbol for a positron is __.

0/1 e

A positron has a mass number of and a charge of . Its origin is a splitting into a and a __.

0; +1; proton; neutron; positron

The symbol for a gamma ray is __.

0/0 γ or "γ"

A gamma ray has a mass number of and a charge of . You need __ to shield yourself from it.

0; 0; lead

A neutron has a mass number of and a charge of . The symbol for a neutron is __.

1; 0; 1/0 n

The process of breaking atoms apart is called __.

fission

An __ bomb utilizes fission.

Atomic

__ is the reaction that occurs on the Sun.

Fusion

Combining particles to make a bigger atom is called __.

fusion

__ power plants use fission reactions.

Nuclear

After 1 half-life, __ of the original radioactive sample remains.

1/2

After 2 half-lives, __ of the original radioactive sample has decayed.

3/4

After 3 half-lives, __ of the original radioactive sample remains.

1/8

After 4 half-lives, __ of the original radioactive sample has decayed.

15/16

After 5 half-lives, __ of the original radioactive sample has decayed.

31/32

In a nuclear reactor, heat from the fission reaction is used to turn __ into steam.

H2O

The __ generated by steam turns the turbine to produce energy.

steam

__ in a nuclear reactor absorb excess neutrons.

Control rods

A __ is used to slow neutrons down in a nuclear reactor.

moderator

The minimum amount of a nuclide that provides the number of neutrons needed to sustain a chain reaction is called __.

critical mass

A change in the identity of the nucleus is known as __.

transmutation

A reaction where the material that initiates the reaction is also one of the products and can start another reaction is called a __.

chain reaction

The time it takes for one-half of a radioactive sample to decompose is called its __.

half-life

The process of combining particles to make a bigger atom is __.

fusion

The process of breaking atoms apart is __.

fission

The spontaneous disintegration of a nucleus into a lighter nucleus, leading to stability, is known as __.

radioactive decay

When solving half-life problems, you must ALWAYS determine the number of __ that have passed first.

half-lives

The remaining radioactive material after n half-lives can be calculated by multiplying the original mass by the fraction __.

1/2^n