Radioactivity

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radioactivity

The spontaneous breaking up of unstable nuclei with the emission of one or more types of radiation

henri becquerel

discovered Uranium salts were leaving a mark on photograohy paper that had not been exposed to light

marie curie

worked with pitchblende and discovered Radium + Polonium

alpha radiation

a particle containing 2 protons and 2 neutrons, essentially a helium nucleus

alpha radiation comparison to other types

the heaviest of the three types of radiation and there fore have the least penetrating power

aplha particles charge + result

positively charged and therefore deflected by electrical and magnetic fields

what are alpha particles stopped by

a piece of paper

example of alpha particles

americium-241

americium-241 use

used to be used in smoke detectors

what happens to an atom when it loses an alpha particle

it changes into an atom of the element 2 places before it in the periodic table, the mass number of the og atome decreases by four, and the og atomic number decreases by two

beta particle

a high speed electron

beta particle comparison to other types of radiation

lighter than alpha particles and therefore can travel further and have a higher penetrating power

how are beta particles formed

in unstable nuclei, a neutron can decay into a proton and an electron, resulting in the electron being expelled from the atom

charge of beta particles + result

negatively charged, deflected by electric and magnetic fields

what are beta particles stopped by

aluminum

beta particles impact

damaging to human cells

beta particle example

carbon-14

use of carbon-14

carbon-14 dating

gamma radiation

the release of high energy electro-magnetic radiation

result of gamma radiation

the release of energy

comparison of gamma radiation

has the most penetrating ability

impact of gamma rays

can cause cancer if absorbed by the body in large quantities

example of gamma radiation

Cobalt-60

use of cobalt-60

used to treat cancer

half life

the time taken for half the nuclei in any given sample to decay

types of reactions

nuclear, chemical

results of nuclear reactions

new elements formed(transmutation), release of nuclear radiation, no chemical bonds formed or broken

what do nuclear reactions involve

changes take place in the nucleus, no electrons are involved

what do chemical reactions involve

electrons

results of chemical reactions

no new elements, no release of radiation, chemical bonds are formed or broken

uses of radioisotopes types

medical, archeological, agricultural, foor irradiation, industrial

medical use of radioisotopes

gamma rays can be used to kill some cancers

archeological use of radioisotopes

C14 isotopes are used for estimating the age of objects

agricultural use of radioisotopes

identifying the uptake of fertilizer by plants

food irradiation use of radioisotopes

gamma rays are used to kill bacteria

industrial uses of radioisotopes

to find leaks in underground pipes, Am241 in smoke detectors