Alpha decay, chemical effects

The interplay between the chemical and nuclear properties of radon makes it a health hazard. Because radon is a noble gas, it is extremely unreactive and is therefore free to escape from the ground without chemically reacting along the way. It is readily inhaled and exhaled with no direct chemical effects. Its half-life, however, is only 3.82 clan s. It decays, by losing an alpha particle, into a radioisotope of polonium ... 

The study of the chemical behavior of concentrated preparations of short-Hved isotopes is compHcated by the rapid production of hydrogen peroxide ia aqueous solutions and the destmction of crystal lattices ia soHd compounds. These effects are brought about by heavy recoils of high energy alpha particles released ia the decay process. 

The activities of some isotopes, in particular °Sr- °Y, can also be detected by liquid-crystal spectrometry with the use of the Cherenkov phenomenon [10, 11]. The Cherenkov effect is used to determine beta isotopes emitting particles whose iiniax IS above 500 keV [12]. The main advantage of beta activity determination by the Cherenkov effect is the use of analytical preparation used for another chemical analysis (e.g. calculation of recovery). Moreover, the addition of low energy beta or alpha radiation does not disturb the measurement, thereby lowering the cost of analysis. The weakness of this method is the decreased recovery registration and the decline in information about the realistic appearance of the beta spectrum [13]. The determination of beta isotopes in environmental samples is very difficult and requires their chemical isolation. The type of sample and the time of chemical analysis determine the choice of analytical method. Also, the time between contamination and sample collection is important procedures used for samples recently contaminated are different to those used for old samples in which the decay of short-lived radionuclides has aheady taken place [1, 5]. 

Radon is a relatively inert noble gas that does not readily interact chemically with other elements. However, radon is a radioactive element and evaluation of the adverse health effects due to exposure to radon requires a slightly different approach than other chemicals. Radioactive elements are those that undergo spontaneous transformation (decay) in which energy is released (emitted) either in the form of particles, such as alpha and beta particles, or photons, such as gamma or X-ray. This disintegration or decay results in the formation of new elements, some of which may themselves be radioactive, in which case they will also decay. The process continues until a stable (nonradioactive) state is reached (See Appendix B for more information). 

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