nuclear chemistry Flashcards
Why would the nucleus have to change
sometimes the nucleus becomes too big, it becomes unstable , therefore it will have to undergo change to become stable again
what is natural transmutation?
spontaneously changing from one element into another
fission and fusion are both examples of this
what are the types of radioactive decay
natural transmutation- will just happen
alpha decay, releases 2 protons and 2 neutrons (4/2 a)
beta decay - a neutron becomes a proton and the electron is kicked out of the nucleus
gamma decay- pure energy, no mass , no charge and very powerful (0Y0)
positron- positively charged beta particle , posistive charged electron and no mass
what is penetration power?
how easily radiation passes through somethin
what is artificial transmutation
forced to happen by smashing particles together
what is fisson
breaking large nucleus down into 2 or more smaller pieces
what is fusion
2 or more smaller pieces combine to make something larger
what is a half life
the time that is needed for half of a radioactive sample to spontaneously decay
what can radiation be used for
radiocarbon dating-carbon-14 to find age of once living things
tracers-medical diagnose or treat
cancer treatment
preserve food-kills bacteria
smoke detectors give off small amounts of radiation
electricity production
lighting
what are some pros of nuclear power
only uses a small amount of fuel but gives off huge amounts of energy
n need for greenhouse gases or fossil fuels
what are some cons of nuclear power
radiation leaks risk of cancer radiation poisoning hazardous waste costly risk of terrorist attack
