Nuclear Chemistry Flashcards
drives the nucleus apart
Electrostatic Repulsion
Pulls particles apart
Nuclear Force/ Binding energy
Is binding energy or electrostatic repulsion stronger?
Binding Energy
Have a positive charge
Protons
Have no charge
Neutrons
Protons and neutrons are known as _________
nucleons
Top number, number of nucleons
Mass #
Number of protons, bottom number
Atomic #
In which an unstable nucleus undergoes a change and a reduction in energy to become more stable
Nuclear Decay
In alpha decay, what alpha particle is emitted?
H-4
In which a high speed electron is ejected from a neutron, this turns the neutron into a proton
Beta Decay
In which a high speed positron is ejected from a proton, this turns the proton into a neutron
Positron emission/beta postive decay
In which a proton absorbs an electron, this turns the proton into a neutron
Electron capture
What turns into what in Beta decay?
neutron turns into a proton
What turns into what in positron emission?
proton turns into a neutron
What turns into what in Electron capture?
proton turns into a neutron
Has the mass of an electron with a positive charge
positron
the nucleus is _______ immediately after any type of decay
unstable
As the number of protons increase, repulsive forces ____________
Increase
What needs to happen to the ration of neutrons to protons in order to counteract the repulsive forces?
the ratio needs to increase
What ration of neutrons to protons do light particles need to maintain fairly stable?
1:1
Zone of stability requires more ________ the larger number of protons
neutrons
occurs in isotopes with too many neutrons (above zone of stability)
beta decay
occurs in isotopes with too many protons (below zone of stability)
positron emission and electron capture
occurs most often in elements with more than 83 protons
Alpha Decay
What are the magic numbers?
2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, 126
nuclei that have a magic number of protons and neutrons ____________
will never decay
the time it takes for the half life of a radioactive sample of an isotope to decay
Nuclear Half Life
Does temperature changes affect the rate of nuclear decay?
no
Nuclear decay rates are always __________
first order
When a proton and a neutron bind together, their masses ___________
decrease
The mass that is lost when a proton and neutron bind together is converted into _________
energy
- The energy required to split a nucleus into its individual nucleons
- the energy released when individual protons and neutrons are bond together to form a nucleus
binding energy
In which two nuclei are fused to form a nucleus with an atomic mass that is less than or equal to 56 amu
Nuclear fusion
What happens in nuclear fusion and fission?
- the mass of each nuclei decreases
- the lost mass is converted to energy
- the binding energy per nucleon increases
In which a massive nucleus is split to produce two nuclei with atomic masses that are greater than or equal to 56 amu
Nuclear fission
As binding energy increases, mass ____________
Decreases
Does nuclear fission or fusion release more energy?
Fusion
