Nuclear reactions alpha decay

The alpha particle is a helium nucleus produced from the radioactive decay of heavy metals and some nuclear reactions. Alpha decay often occurs among nuclei that have a favorable neutron/proton ratio, but contain too many nucleons for stability. The alpha particle is a massive particle consisting of an assembly of two protons and two neutrons and a resultant charge of +2. 

Neutrons have no electrical charge and have nearly the same mass as a proton (a hydrogen atom nucleus). A neutron is hundreds of times larger than an electron, but one quarter the size of an alpha particle. The source of neutrons is primarily nuclear reactions, such as fission, but they are also produced from the decay of radioactive elements. Because of its size and lack of charge, the neutron is fairly difficult to stop, and has a relatively high penetrating power. 

The alpha particle is a helium nucleus produced from the radioactive decay of heavy metals and some nuclear reactions. 

Unnilseptium, or bohrium, is artificially produced one atom at a time in particle accelerators. In 1976 Russian scientists at the nuclear research laboratories at Dubna synthesized element 107, which was named unnilseptium by lUPAC. Only a few atoms of element 107 were produced by what is called the cold fusion process wherein atoms of one element are slammed into atoms of a different element and their masses combine to form atoms of a new heavier element. Researchers did this by bombarding bismuth-204 with heavy ions of chromium-54 in a cyclotron. The reaction follows Bi-209 + Cr-54 + neutrons = (fuse to form) Uns-262 + an alpha decay chain. 

The nuclear reaction involving the bombardment of curium with calcium that directly produced element 116 occurred on December 6, 2000, at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, in cooperation with personnel of the Lawrence-Livermore Berkeley Group. This nuclear reaction resulted in the production of a few atoms of the isotope ununhexium-292, which has a half-life of 0.6 milliseconds and emits four neutrons. Uuh-292 is also the most stable isotope of element 116 as it continues to decay into elements with Z numbers of 114, 112, 110, 108, and 106, plus emitting four alpha particles for each transmutation. (Z numbers are the number of protons in the nuclei of atoms.)... 

Conservation of mass and charge are used when writing nuclear reactions. For example, let s consider what happens when uranium-238 undergoes alpha decay. Uranium-238 has 92 protons and 146 neutrons and is symbolized as After it emits an alpha particle, the nucleus now has a mass number of 234 and an atomic number of 90. 

Again, both mass and charge are conserved. Gamma emission often accompanies both alpha and beta decay, but because gamma emission does not change the parent element it is often emitted when writing nuclear reactions. 

ALPHA DECAY. The emission of alpha particles by radioactive nuclei. The name alpha particle was applied in the earlier years of radioactivity investigations, before it was fully understood what alpha particles are. It is known now that alpha particles are the same as helium nuclei. When a radioactive nucleus emits an alpha particle, its atomic number decreases by Z = 2 and its mass number by A = 4. The process is a spontaneous nuclear reaction, and the radionuclide that undergoes the emission is known as an alpha emitter. 

Alpha decay is nuclear decomposition such that one of the products of the reaction is an alpha (a) particle, 4He. In an example of alpha decay, radium-222 decomposes to form radon-218 plus an alpha particle ... 

The fifth type of radioactive emission, gamma radiation, does not result in a change in the properties of the atoms. As a result, they are usually omitted from nuclear equations. Gamma emissions often accompany other alpha or beta reactions—any decay that has an excess of energy that is released. For example, when a positron collides with an electron, two gamma rays are emitted, a phenomenon usually referred to as annihilation radiation. 

In almost all of the previous examples, we have looked at nuclear reactions that occur by spontaneous decay. There are other types of nuclear reactions that can occur, known as transmutation reactions. These reactions can be induced by forcing a reaction between the nucleus of an element and nuclear particles (such as neutrons), or nuclei. Ernest Rutherford carried out the first transmutation by bombarding nitrogen-14 nuclei with alpha particles. This resulted in the production of oxygen-17 and a proton, as shown below ... 

O 029 Draw a chart in your notebook to show alpha decay, beta decay, gamma decay, nuclear fusion, and nuclear fission. Write a description and give an example of each type of reaction. Illustrate each example with a drawing. 

Smoke detectors depend on nuclear reactions to sound an alarm when a fire starts. Many smoke detectors contain a small amount of americium-241, which decays to form neptunium-237 and alpha particles. 

Determine whether each of the following nuclear reactions involves alpha decay, beta decay, positron emission, or electron capture. 

As you may recall, isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons. Isotopes of atoms with unstable nuclei are called radioisotopes. These unstable nuclei emit radiation to attain more stable atomic configurations in a process called radioactive decay. During radioactive decay, unstable atoms lose energy by emitting one of several types of radiation. The three most common types of radiation are alpha (a), beta ((3), and gamma (7). Table 25-2 summarizes some of their important properties. Later in this chapter you ll learn about other types of radiation that may be emitted in a nuclear reaction. 

All the nuclear reactions that have been described thus far are examples of radioactive decay, where one element is converted into another element by the spontaneous emission of radiation. This conversion of an atom of one element to an atom of another element is called transmutation. Except for gamma emission, which does not alter an atom s atomic number, all nuclear reactions are transmutation reactions. Some unstable nuclei, such as the uranium salts used by Henri Becquerel, undergo transmutation naturally. However, transmutation may also be forced, or induced, by bombarding a stable nucleus with high-energy alpha, beta, or gamma radiation. 

Of the various ionizing particulate radiations, the most important in terms of likelihood for human exposure are alpha particles, beta particles, protons, and neutrons. Alpha and beta particles occur as a result of the radioactive decay of unstable atoms. Neutrons generally result from nuclear reactions, such as nuclear fission (as in nuclear reactors and fission-based nuclear weapons) and charged-particle activation of target atoms (as with some accelerator-produced... 

Rutherford s work has made him known as the father of nuclear physics with his research on radioactivity (alpha and beta particles and protons, which he named), and he was the first to describe the concepts of half-life and decay constant. He showed that elements such as uranium transmute (become different elements) through radioactive decay, and he was the first to observe nuclear reactions (split the atom in 1917). In 1908 he received the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his investigations into the disintegration of the elements, and the chemistry of radioactive substances. He was president of the Royal Society (1926-30) and of the Institute of Physics (1931-33) and was decorated with the Order of Merit (1925). He became Lord Rutherford in 1931. 

Once you know what kind of nucleus is produced by a simple nuclear reaction, you can determine what type of decay has taken place. If both the atomic number and mass number decrease, alpha decay has occurred. If the mass number stays the same but the atomic number increases, beta decay has occurred. If neither atomic number nor mass number changes, only gamma radiation has been emitted. 

Consider the decay of one isotope of uranium, 9 U, into thorium and an alpha particle. Because an alpha particle is lost in this process, this decay is called alpha decay. Examine the balanced equation for this nuclear reaction ... 

Write a nuclear reaction to represent radium-226 decaying to radon-222 plus an alpha particle. 

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