Nuclear

• alpha particle


  a helium nucleus that is emitted from a radioactive atom.

  
• beta particle


  a high speed electron that is emitted from a radioactive atom. Neutron is transformed into a proton

  
• gamma particle


  a high-energy photon (particle of light) that is emitted from a radioactive nucleus. They have zero mass

  
• What stops alpha?


  paper
• nuclear radiation


  the emission of alpha particles, beta particles, or gamma rays from the nucleus of an atom

  
• mass number


  the number of protons plus number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom (added together)
• atomic number


  the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.
• isotope


  Atoms that have the same number of protons (and are therefore the same element) but different numbers of neutrons.
• radioisotope


  an atom that emits alpha particles, beta particles, and/or gamma rays.

  
• stable isotope


  an "ordinary" element: does not break down and does not emit particles or rays.
• Using the periodic table and your knowledge of nuclear chemistry terminology, give the symbol for lead-212

  
• Name one thing you can do change the rate of nuclear decay in a radioactive isotope.

  You can't. The rate of radioactive decay is not changed by any factors that usually affect chemical reactions, such as adding or removing heat, raising or lowering pressure, etc.
• Write out the equation that represents carbon-14 undergoing beta decay.

  
• Write out the equation that represents radium-222 undergoing alpha decay.

  
• What stops beta radiation?

  metal
• What stops gamma radiation?

  lead or concrete
• What element is formed when the radioisotope Hydrogen-3 undergoes beta decay? Give atomic number and mass

  Helium-3
• What element is formed when the radioisotope Uranium-235 undergoes beta decay? Give atomic number and mass

  Neptunium-235
• What element is formed when the radioisotope Iron-60 undergoes alpha decay? Give atomic number and mass

  Chromium-56
• What element if formed when the radioisotope Thorium-242 undergoes alpha decay? Give atomic number and mass


  Radium-238
• Define the term half-life


  time taken for half the nuclei of a radioactive isotope to decay
• Calculate the neutron-to-proton ratio for the isotope sulfur-34


  18 to 16
• What happens to the half-life if the radioactive isotope is in a compound?

  nothing - stays the same
• What products are formed when Thorium-234 undergoes 1 alpha decay

  Radium-230
• What element is produced from the alpha decay of the radioisotope polonium-210

  lead-206
• What element is produced from the alpha decay of the radioisotope uranium-234

  thorium-230
• What element is produced from the alpha decay of the radioisotope radon-222

  Polonium-218
• What element is produced from the alpha decay of the radioisotope Thorium-230


  Radium-226
• What element is produced from the beta decay of the radioisotope Pascalium-235

  Uranium-235
• What element is produced from the beta decay of the radioisotope Iron-60

  Cobalt-60
• What element is produced from the beta decay of the radioisotope Thorium-234

  Pascalium-234
• What type of decay occurs when Pascalium-234 turns to uranium-234?

  beta decay
• What type of decay occurs polonium-214 decays to lead-210?

  alpha decay
• What type of decay occurs between polonium-210 to polonium-210?

  gamma decay
• Use the graph to determine the half-life of the sample in days

  40 days

  
• In nuclear decay equations what two items must balance?

  mass numbers and atomic numbers - see image

  
• In alpha decay what happens to mass number and atomic number?

  mass number decreases by 4 and atomic number decreases by 2
• In beta decay what happens to mass number and atomic number?

  mass number stays the same and atomic number increases by 1
• In gamma decay what happens to mass number and atomic number?


  no change (because gamma is energy and not made of particles)