Nuclear Chemistry

Question 1

What can ionising radiation do

Answer 1

it can damage DNA and cause burns and cancers.

Question 2

How can you detect ionising radiation

Answer 2

A Geiger-Muller tube can be used

Question 3

what happens when ionising radiation makes contact with an atom

Answer 3

It can cause it to ionise (gain or lose an electron), which can make it unstable.

Question 4

What can happen due to ionising radiation (to do with electrons)

Answer 4

Electrons can be lost or gained

Question 5

What is an alpha particle

Answer 5

This is a helium nucleus (two protons and two electrons). These are the most ionising (damaging) and also the slowes

Question 6

What is the charge of an alpha particle

Answer 6

This has a charge of 2+ as it contains two protons.

Question 7

How can alpha particles be blocked

Answer 7

They can be blocked easiest with just paper

Question 8

What is a beta particle

Answer 8

A Beta particle is a FAST MOVING ELECTRON. These are the second most ionising.

Question 9

What is the charge of a beta particle

Answer 9

These have a charge of 1- and a mass of 0.

Question 10

What is a gamma ray

Answer 10

Gamma waves are part of the Electromagnetic Spectrum. They travel a the speed of light (3x10^8m/s) so travel the fastest, and are the least ionising.

Question 11

Which particles are the least penetrative

Answer 11

Alpha particles

Question 12

Which particles are the second most penetrative

Answer 12

Beta particles

Question 13

Which particles are the most penetrative

Answer 13

Gamma particles

Question 14

What happens as a radioactive substance ages

Answer 14

Its activity (no. decays/time) decreases.
Each radioactive substance has a very specific time in which its activity is halved

Question 15

What is the nuclide notation for alpha particles

Answer 15

4
He
2

Question 16

What is the nuclide notation for beta particles

Answer 16

0 -
e
-1

Question 17

What is the nuclide notation for Proton

Answer 17

1
p
1

Question 18

What does an emission of an alpha particle lead to

Answer 18

a decrease in atomic number by 2 and a decrease in mass number by 4.

Question 19

When are beta particle emitted

Answer 19

when a neutron splits into a proton and an electron. The electron is emitted and the atomic number increases by 1. Mass number stays the same.

Question 20

What is a half-life

Answer 20

The time that a radioactive substance takes for its activity to reduce by half

Question 21

How is radiation used in the medical field

Answer 21

in the form of X-rays for imaging/diagnosing patients. X-rays can also be used therapeutically, helping in surgical procedures. Gamma radiation is utilised in radiotherapy for certain cancers and also used to sterilise equipment for surgeries.

Question 22

Name two used of radiation

Answer 22

the production of energy and in the medical field.

Question 23

What is carbon dating

Answer 23

when you use radiation to determine the ages of old carbon-based compounds, we can calculate the age of the substance by determining the half-life of a carbon-based compound. Radiation is therefore used in archaeology.