P6 - Radioactive Materials Flashcards
What are all elements made of?
Atoms
How many types of atom make up each element?
Only one
What two things do all atoms contain?
A nucleus and electrons
What 2 things is the nucleus made of?
Protons and neutrons
What element is the exception to the nucleus being made up of protons and neutrons?
Hydrogen
What is the lightest element?
Hydrogen
How is hydrogen different from other elements?
Its nucleus is made up of just one proton and one electron, no neutrons, rather than protons and neutrons like all other elements
What do radioactive elements emit?
Ionising radiation
How often do radioactive elements emit ionising radiation?
All the time
What emits ionising radiation?
Radioactive elements
What cannot change the radioactive behaviour of a substance?
Neither chemical reactions nor physical processes (e.g. smelting)
True or False?
Every atom of a particular element will always have a different number of protons. (HT)
False - Every atom of a particular element will always have the same number of protons. (If they contained a different number of protons, it would be a different element)
How many protons will a hydrogen atom have? (HT)
1
How many protons will a helium atom have? (HT)
2
How many protons will an oxygen atom have? (HT)
8
a) How many protons will a hydrogen atom have? (HT)
b) How many protons will a helium atom have? (HT)
c) How many protons will an oxygen atom have? (HT)
d) How do we know this? (HT)
a) 1
b) 2
c) 8
d) Because the number of protons that a particular element has will always stay the same.
Every atom of a particular element will always have the same number of protons. What what can some atoms of the same element have different numbers of? (HT)
Neutrons
Some atoms of the same element can have different numbers of neutrons. What are these called? (HT)
isotopes
What are the 3 isotopes of oxygen? For each one, state how many neutrons and protons it has. (HT)
- Oxygen-16, has eight neutrons and eight protons
- Oxygen-17, has nine neutrons and eight protons
- Oxygen-18, has 10 neutrons and eight protons
How many types of ionising radiation can radioactive materials give out?
3
What are the three types of ionising radiation that radioactive materials can give out?
- Alpha
- Beta
- Gamma
What sort of ionising powers does alpha radiation have?
Strong ionising power.
Through what sort of thickness/material can alpha radiation be absorbed by?
A few centimetres of air or a thin sheet of paper
What sort of ionising powers does beta radiation have?
Reasonable ionising power
Through what sort of thickness/material can beta radiation be absorbed by?
Beta passes through air and paper but is absorbed by a few millimetres of aluminium
What sort of ionising powers does gamma radiation have?
Poor ionising power
Through what sort of thickness/material can gamma radiation be absorbed by?
Gamma is very penetrating and needs many centimetres of lead or many metres of concrete to absorb most of it
When is ionising radiation emitted? (HT)
When the nucleus of an unstable atom decays
What does the type of radioactive decay depend on?
Why the nucleus is unstable in the first place; the process of decay helps the atom become more stable
During radioactive decay, what happens if the number of protons changes? (HT)
The element changes to another type
