Nuclear Chemistry Flashcards
_____ is the study of the chemical and physical properties of elements as influenced by changes in the structure of the atomic nucleus.
Nuclear Chemistry
Changes in the structure of the atomic nucleus are the source of radioactivity and _____.
Nuclear Power
The nucleus is comprised of the two nucleons, ____ and _____.
Protons, Neutrons
Atomic number = no. of _____ or the no. of _____.
Protons, Electrons
Mass number = no. of _____ + no. of _____.
Protons, Neutrons
_____ are atoms that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
Isotopes
Who discovered that uranium emitted radiation?
Henri Becquerel
Who found that radiation was proportional to the amount of radioactive element present?
Marie Curie
Who proposed that radiation was a property of atoms?
Marie Curie
Who proposed the theory that radioactivity is the result of a natural change of an isotope of one element into an isotope of a different element?
Frederick Soddy
A force that combines the effects of electrical charge and magnetism. This causes oppositely charged particles to attract each other while like particles to repel each other.
Electromagnetic Force
A force that oppose the electromagnetic force of repulsion between protons.
Strong Nuclear Force
A force that is responsible for stabilizing particles through the process of radioactive decay.
Weak Nuclear Force
_____ elements seek stability by breaking into smaller masses.
Radioactive
_____ is the spontaneous and continual decay or disintegration of certain atoms, with the release of radiation and enormous amount of energy.
Radioactivity
_____ decay is the loss of an α-particle (a helium nucleus).
Alpha
_____ decay is the loss of a β-particle (a high energy electron).
Beta
In beta decay, neutron changes into _____ and _____.
Proton, Electron
_____ is a particle that has the same mass but an opposite charge to that of an electron.
Positron
_____ decay is the loss of a γ-ray, which is high energy radiation that almost always accompanies the loss of a nuclear particle.
Gamma
Addition of an electron to a proton in the nucleus to create a neutron is known as ________.
Electron Capture / K-Capture
All element except _____ will have repulsions between the protons in the nucleus.
Hydrogen
_____ play a key role in stabilizing the nucleus.
Neutrons
For smaller nuclei with atomic number less than or equal to __ , they are stable and have a neutron-to-proton ratio close to 1:1.
20
Nuclei that have too many neutrons tend to decay through ____.
Beta Decay
Nuclei that have too many protons tend to become more stable by _____ or _____.
Positron Emission, Electron Capture
There are no stable nuclei with an atomic number greater than __.
83
Nuclei with such large atomic numbers tend to decay through _____.
Alpha Decay
Nuclei with an even number of protons and neutrons tend to be more _____ than nuclides that have odd numbers of these nucleons.
Stable
Formula for 1st-Order Reaction:
ln (Nf/Ni) = -kt
Formula for Half-Life
t(1/2) = 0.693/k
Device that measures the amount of activity present in a radioactive sample.
Geiger Counter
_____ is a method used to determine the age of materials based on the known decay rate of radioactive isotopes.
Radiometric Dating
3 common methods of radiometric dating are _____ , _____ , and ______.
Carbon-14, Potassium-Argon dating, Uranium-Lead dating.
Nuclei with 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, or 82 _____ tend to be more stable that nuclides with a different number of nucleons.
Protons
Nuclei with 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, or 126 _____ tend to be more stable that nuclides with a different number of nucleons
Neutrons
_____ is the transformation/conversion of one element into another by a nuclear reaction.
Nuclear Transmutation
Device that smash atoms or particles together to induced nuclear transmutations.
Particle Accelerator
A type of particle accelerator that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams.
Electrostatic Field accelerator
A type of particle accelerator that uses radio frequency electromagnetic fields to circumvent the breakdown problem.
Oscillating Field accelerator
_____ takes place when a large, somewhat unstable isotope is bombarded by high-speed particles, usually neutrons.
Nuclear Fission
This is the type of reaction carried out in nuclear reactors.
Nuclear Fission
_____ is a certain minimum amount of fissionable material present for the chain reaction to be sustained.
Critical Mass
_____ is the union of atomic nuclei to form heavier nuclei resulting in the release of enormous amounts of energy.
Nuclear Fusion
Fusion takes place when two low-mass isotopes, typically isotopes of hydrogen, unite under conditions of extreme _____ and ______.
Pressure, Temperature
There are __% source of natural radiation and __% source of artificial radiation.
82%, 18%
Fusion is what powers the _____.
Sun
The products of the reaction in nuclear fusion are not _____.
Radioactive
