Chem L1

Chapter 18:
Radioactivity and
Nuclear Energy
LESSON 1
RADIOACTIVITY: DISCOVERY, NATURE AND TERMS

DISCOVERY OF RADIOACTIVITY
• The discovery of radioactivity was
accidental, a serendipity. Henri
Becquerel, a French physicist was
studying the newly discovered x-ray,
when he stumbled upon yet another
find. By accident, he discovered that
uranium salts spontaneously emit a
penetrating radiation that can be
registered on a photographic plate.
 Inearly 1896, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen had found that the Crookes
tubes he had been using to study cathode rays emitted a new kind of
invisible ray that was capable of penetrating through black paper.
 January 1896, Becquerel first heard about Roentgen’s discovery.
Becquerel began looking for a connection between the
phosphorescence he had already been investigating and the newly
discovered x-rays.
 February 24, 1896, Becquerel conducted an experiment and that his
results was correct, that the phosphorescent uranium salts absorbed
sunlight and emitted a penetrating radiation similar to x-rays.
 Seeking further confirmation of what he had found, he planned to
continue his experiments. But the weather in Paris did not cooperate.
 March 1, he opened the drawer and developed the plates, expecting
to see only a very weak image. Instead, the image was amazingly
clear.
 March 2, Becquerel reported at the Academy of Sciences that the
uranium salts emitted radiation without any stimulation from sunlight.
 In
May he announced that the element uranium was indeed what was
emitting the radiation.
• Following the discovery of radioactivity,Marie Curie, a
Polish born chemist, and her husband, Pierre Curie, a
French physicist, started their search for other
substances that spontaneously emit radiation.
• They found that all uranium ores spontaneously emitted
radiation and called this property radioactivity.
RADIOACTIVITY
• refers to the property of certain unstable nuclides to
spontaneously emit radiation in order to form a more
stable species.
NATURE OF RADIOACTIVITY
• Ernest Rutherford who did many experiments studying
the properties of radioactive decay, name these;
1. Alpha
2. Beta
3. Gamma
- classified them by their ability to penetrate matter.
NATURE OF RADIOACTIVITY
When a beam of radiation was passed between
electrically charged plates, the beam split into three
components
1. alpha (α) – first component was attracted to a
negatively charge plate.
2. beta (β) – this second component was attracted to a
positively charged plate
3. gamma (ϒ) - the third was not deflected.
Name Symbol Nature Charge Mass Velocity Ionizing Penetrating Power
Power
Alpha Heα Helium 1/10 the Low stopped by paper
nucleus +2 4 speed of light 10000 or outer layer of skin
Beta β Electron -1 0 Almost equal 100 Moderate; can pass

to the speed through paper and
of light several millimeters of
skin, but can be stopped
by an aluminum foil
Gamma ϒ Radiant Speed of light High; can pass into a

energy 0 0 1 human body ,but
stopped by several
centimeters of lead or
several meters of
concrete
TERMS AND SYMBOLS
•The term nuclide is used to describe any atom having a
nucleus of mass number A, atomic number, and number
of neutrons n.
•Nuclide is frequently used in place of the term nucleus.
•Recall that
isotopes are atoms of the same element
whose nuclei contain different numbers of neutrons.
TERMS AND SYMBOLS
•Most naturally occurring isotopes contain stable nuclei.
Some of the isotopes contain unstable nuclei that
undergo spontaneous emission of radiation.
•Unstable nuclei are referred to as
radioactive
isotopes ,radioisotopes, or radionuclides.
•Theparticles that make up the nucleus--- the protons
and neutrons--- are called nucleons. Hence, the mass
number is the total mass of nucleons in the nucleus.
TERMS AND SYMBOLS
• Different types of symbols are used in nuclear chemistry.
For example:
oBeta – β-
oPositron –β+
oNeutron – n10
oProton or hydrogen nucleus – H11
oNeutrino ( little neutral one ) - v ( no mass, no charge, ½
spin )
TERMS AND SYMBOLS
•To indicate isotopes, the mass number is often included
in the names of elements. For example:
oDeuterium often called hydrogen 2
oTritium called hydrogen 3
oStable carbon often called carbon 12
oUnstable carbon often called carbon 14
ASSESSMENT 1
1. Why is radioactivity so dangerous ?
2. Which is the most dangerous type of radiation ? Site at
least 3 examples of situation that it is dangerous to our
daily lives.
3. Compare and contrast the ionizing radiation and non-
ionizing radiation
4. What are the pieces of evidence of the radioactive
nature of matter?
5. Give the contribution of the following scientist in the
field of radioactivity.
a. Wilhelm Roentgen
b. Antonie Henri Becquerel
c. Marie Curie

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Chapter 18:

RADIOACTIVITY: DISCOVERY, NATURE AND TERMS

Beta β Electron -1 0 Almost equal 100 Moderate; can pass

Gamma ϒ Radiant Speed of light High; can pass into a

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