Download Types of Radiation

PAP Chemistry
Name _______________________________
Period: ______________
2 • Atomic & Molecular Structure
Nuclear Chemistry Notes
Section Objectives
 Students know how to relate the position of an element in the periodic table to its atomic number and
atomic mass. (1a)
 Students know the energy release per gram of material is much larger in nuclear fusion or fission reactions
than in chemical reactions. The change in mass (calculated by E = mc 2) is small but significant in nuclear
reactions. (11b)
 Students know some naturally occurring isotopes of elements are radioactive, as are isotopes formed in
nuclear reactions. (11c)
 Students know the three most common forms of radioactive decay (alpha, beta, and gamma) and know how
the nucleus changes in each type of decay. (11d)
 Students know alpha, beta, and gamma radiation produce different amounts and kinds of damage in matter
and have different penetrations. (11e)
_______ Antoine Henri Becquerel along with Marie and Pierre Curie discovered that __________
emits __________ rays.
Marie Curie named the process of uranium giving off rays, __________.
__________ is the penetrating __________ given off a radioactive source.
Becquerel and the Curies won the Nobel Prize in __________ in __________ for their discovery
This theory disproved __________ idea of an __________ atom.
Certain isotopes, called __________ are radioactive because they have __________ nuclei.
__________ of a nucleus is determined by the ratio of __________ to __________.
Too many __________ leads to an __________ nucleus.
When a nucleus is unstable, it __________ energy by emitting radiation during the process called
__________ __________.
Through radioactive __________, unstable __________ of one element are changed into stable,
__________ isotopes of a __________ element.
This process is called __________________. “Trans-” means across and “mutation” is a change.
Radioactive decay is __________ and does not require any input of _________.
Types of Radiation
There are _______ main types of radiation that can be emitted during __________ __________.
__________ radiation 
__________ radiation 
__________ radiation 
Alpha radiation consists of __________ nuclei that have been emitted.
Alpha particles contain __________ protons and __________ neutrons and have __________
charge.
An alpha particle is written as  or __________. The charge is ________ used.
When an atom _________ an alpha particle, the atomic number of the product atom is ________
by ________ and its ________ number is lower by _______.
Uranium-238

thorium-234 +  particle
Since -particles have a large __________ and charge, they do not travel far and can be stopped
by _________ and even ________ ________ ________.
We can say alpha particles are ________ -__________. They can be __________ if they are
swallowed.
__________ radiation consists of ________ -__________ __________ formed by the
decomposition of a __________ of an atom.
The neutron breaks into a __________ and an __________.
The fast-moving __________ are called __________ -__________
The __________ stays in the nucleus and the electron is __________ from the atom.
Beta-particles are represented by ____ and using _______
Carbon-14

nitrogen-14 + -particle
Beta-particles have _______ the charge and are much __________ than alpha-particles.
Therefore they can travel ________ and are ________ penetrating.
Beta-particles can be stopped by __________ _______ and pieces of ______.
Gamma radiation is also called __________ radiation. The __________ we see is also
electromagnetic radiation, but much __________ energy.
Gamma rays are often emitted by nuclei of __________ radioactive atoms along with __________
or __________ radiation.
Gamma rays have no __________ and no __________ charge. They are represented with
__________ symbol .
Gamma radiation does not change the __________ number or __________ number of an atom.
X-radiation (___ -_______) are __________ emitted during radioactive decay.
X-rays are made as excited ________ in certain ________ ______ their energy.
Except for their origins, gamma rays and x-rays are very __________.
They both pass through _______________, _____________, and the _________ __________.
They can be stopped by several ________________ of _________________ or several centimeters
of __________.
Alpha radiation is emitted when thorium-235 decays. Write a balanced nuclear reaction for its
decay.
Beta radiation is emitted when strontium-90 decays. Write a balanced nuclear reaction for its
decay.
Sometimes electrons can be captured. Nickel-59 will capture an electron:
Nuclear Fission & Fusion
With spontaneous nuclear fission a heavy nucleus splits into lighter nuclei and releases large
amounts of energy
Californium-252 can split spontaneously
Einstein & Nuclear Reactions
Fusion occurs when nuclei _______________ to produce a nucleus of _______________ mass.
Fusion reactions tend to release _______________ energy than _______________ reactions.
Fusion reactions occur in the Sun. _______________ nuclei fuse to make _______________
nuclei.
Below is the fusion reaction that occurs on the Sun: