Nuclear reactions Flashcards
Define nucleosynthesis.
Formation of heavier elements from lighter elements by nuclear fusion
What occurs during a nuclear reaction?
Nucleus reacts with a subatomic particle to form a more massive nucleus.
What occurs during a nuclear decay reaction?
An unstable nucleus emits radiation and is transformed into the nucleus of one or more other elements.
Differentiate resulting daughter nuclei (from decay reaction) from their parent nucleus.
Have a lower mass and are lower in energy (more stable).
Differentiate nuclear transmutation reactions from nuclear decay reactions.
Nuclear decay reactions occur spontaneously under all conditions, whereas nuclear transmutation reactions are induced.
What are the two main factors that determine nuclear stability?
Neutron/proton ratio, Nucleon count
How does an unstable nucleus attain stability?
It releases energy.
Why are daughter nuclei more stable than their parent nucleus?
They have a more favorable neutron-to- proton ratio.
What happens during an alpha decay?
A helium nucleus is lost.
What happens during a beta decay?
An electron is lost from the nucleus as a neutron turns into a proton.
What happens during an electron capture decay?
A proton turns into a neutron after an electron is gained in the nucleus.
What happens during a positron emission?
A positron is lost because a proton turns into a neutron.
What happens during a gamma decay?
A high energy gamma ray is emitted, lowering the energy state of a nucleus.
What are isotopes?
They are two or more types of atoms that have the same atomic number and position in the periodic table, but differ in nucleon numbers due to different numbers of neutrons.
How does a beta emission increase the stability of a neutron-rich atom?
It increases an element’s atomic number, thus lowering its neutron-proton ratio.
