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Nuclear Reactions

This document discusses nuclear reactions and radiation. It defines key terms like atomic number, atomic mass, protons, neutrons, electrons. It describes 3 types of radiation - alpha, beta, and gamma. It explains the nuclear reactions of alpha emission, beta emission, positron emission, electron capture, and gamma radiation. Examples are provided to show how to write balanced nuclear equations for different types of radioactive decay.

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Joanna Ruth Sepro
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279 views18 pages

Nuclear Reactions

This document discusses nuclear reactions and radiation. It defines key terms like atomic number, atomic mass, protons, neutrons, electrons. It describes 3 types of radiation - alpha, beta, and gamma. It explains the nuclear reactions of alpha emission, beta emission, positron emission, electron capture, and gamma radiation. Examples are provided to show how to write balanced nuclear equations for different types of radioactive decay.

Uploaded by

Joanna Ruth Sepro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Nuclear

Reactions
Lesson 3
Nuclear Notation
Protons, Neutrons, Electrons

2
Atomic Mass =
protons + neutrons
1 3
Atomic number = Neutrons = atomic
protons = electrons mass – atomic
number
Exercise 1
Pick at least 10 elements in the
periodic table. Find out the origin
of their names and create a table
that shows their subatomic
particles.
Radioactivity and
the Nuclear Reaction
3 different types of radiation

● alpha
● beta
● gamma
Alpha emission
In this nuclear reaction, the radioactive nuclide is changed into an
element with an atomic number and mass number lower than 2
and 4, respectively.
Beta emission
Some radioactive nuclides have a neutron-to-proton ratio that is
too high they become unstable. In order to be stable, they undergo
beta emission, where the neutron becomes a proton, which stays
inside the nucleus, and an electron, which is ejected from the atom
as beta particle.
Positron emission
A positron is a positive electron (a form of antimatter). This rare
type of emission occurs when a proton is converted to a neutron
and a positron in the nucleus, with ejection of the positron. The
atomic number will decrease by one while the atomic weight does
not change. A positron is often designated by β+.
Electron Capture
An alternate way for a nuclide to increase its neutron to proton
ratio is by a phenomenon called electron capture. In electron
capture, an electron from an inner orbital is captured by the
nucleus of the atom and combined with a proton to form a
neutron.
Gamma Radiation
Because radioactive decay leads to more stable products, it always
releases energy. As such, gamma rays – streams of high-energy
photons – are released when a radioactive nuclide leaves a nucleus
in an excited state.
summary
Nuclear Reaction &
Synthesis of Elements
Example 1: Let us take for example
polonium-210. What element is formed
as Po-210 undergoes alpha emission?

𝟐𝟏𝟎 𝟒
𝟖𝟒𝑷𝒐 → _____ + 𝟐𝑯𝒆
𝟐𝟏𝟎 𝟒
𝟖𝟒𝑷𝒐 → _____ + 𝟐𝑯𝒆
Step 1: Determine the subscript for the missing nuclide by
determining what number would make the sum of the subscripts
on the right of the arrow equal to the subscript of the element
undergoing radiation.
Step 2: Since the number you will get is the atomic number of the
missing nuclide, the number tells you what element is formed. In
this example, the number 82 corresponds to lead in the periodic
table of elements. Hence, lead is the missing nuclide in the nuclear
equation.
Step 3: Repeat step 1 for the superscript. In this example, the atomic
mass should be 206. Therefore, polonium-210 emits an alpha
particle to form lead-206.
What element is formed as
Po-210 undergoes alpha
emission?
𝟐𝟏𝟎 𝟐𝟎𝟔
𝟖𝟒𝑷𝒐 → 𝟖𝟐𝑷𝒃 + 𝟒𝟐𝑯𝒆
Let’s try:
What element is formed by beta emission of
gold-198?

𝟏𝟗𝟖 𝟎
𝟕𝟗𝑨𝒖 → _____ + −𝟏𝒆
Try: What type nuclear
reactions?
Another…

Write the balanced nuclear equations


for the alpha, beta, and gamma
decay of Radium-226

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