Chemistry - Nuclear Radiation

What is the symbol of beta decay?

Beautiful B (β)

What is the penetrating power of beta decay?

Medium; goes through the skin; one of the causes for skin cancer

How can you shield yourself from beta decay?

Aluminum foil or 1 inch thick wood

Where do you get the electron from?

You lose a neutron and gain a proton.

What happens to the atomic number?

It goes up by 1.

What happens to the mass number?

It stays the same.

What is the equation to represent how a proton is created in beta decay?

1 0 1

n --> e + p

0 -1 1

What is the composition of a beta particle?

It is a fast moving electron.

What does the unstable nucleus eject in beta decay?

It ejects a fast moving electron.

What is the symbol for alpha particle?

4

He or dying fish ()

2

What is an alpha particle's composition?

Helium nucleus.

What does the unstable nucleus eject?

It ejects a helium nucleus.

What is alpha decay's penetrating power?

Low penetrating power; cannot penetrate paper, or clothing

What happens to the atomic number in alpha decay?

The atomic # loses 2 protons

What happens to the mass number in alpha decay?

It loses 4.

What is Gamma Radiation?

It is a form of electromagnetic light.

Gamma Radiation Dangers.

X RAY radiation is less dangerous than gamma radiation; gamma radiation is the most dangerous in the spectrum of electromagnetic light.

How many protons neutrons and electrons does gamma radiation have? What is it's charge?

It is not a particle so it has 0 protons, 0 neutrons, and 0 electrons. It has a charge of 0.

What is it's penetrating power?

High penetrating power.

How can you shield yourself?

Thick layer of lead or meters of concrete.

What is the symbol for gamma radiation?

0

Y - Diving fish(0s are optional)

0

What happens to the atomic and mass number?

They both stay the same.

What is it a side reaction of? Does it always occur?

No it doesn't always occur and it is a side reaction of alpha and beta decay.

What side is the electron on in an electron capture nuclear equation?

On the left side.

How does the nucleus capture the electron?

Sometimes a fast moving electron hits a nucleus and it does not float around the nucleus, instead it enters the nucleus.

What happens to a proton and neutron during electron capture?

We lose a proton and gain a neutron (opposite of beta decay)

What is the right side of a nuclear equation?

They are the remnants; what is left.

Do you gain or do you lose an electron in the electron capture?

You gain an electron because you are capturing the electron.

What's happening in the nucleus during electron capture?

1 0 1

p + e --> n

1 -1 0

aka proton gains an electron to become a neutron

What is a positron?

It is an antimatter of an electron, so it has the same mass, but a positive charge.

What happens during a positron emission?

You gain a neutron and lose a proton

What is happening inside the nucleus in positron emission?

1 0 1

p --> e + n

1 +1 0

a proton loses a positron to become a neutron

If the reaction is called a capture of bombardment

The thing being capture of bombarded shows up on the left side.

If the reaction is called an emission or decay

The thing being emitted or decayed is on the right side of the equation.

formula for electron capture

proton gains an electron to become a neutron

formula for positron emission

proton loses a positron to become a neutron

beta decay

neutron loses an electron to become a proton; x axis gains a proton and y axis loses neutrons

beta decay happens when you have

too many neutrons

electron capture happens when you have

too many protons

if the atomic number is greater than 83

alpha decay because there are too many protons

there are no stable nuclei with an atomic number greater than 83

because there are too many protons in the nucleus making it radioactive