Chapter 22 Nuclear Chemistry Study Guide

Prepared By: Amelia Tsai, Lena Chen, Vicky Lin

Chemistry Honors Period 6

Chapter 22 Objectives
-Explain why and how nuclear reactions occur
-Write balanced nuclear equations of radioactive processes and transmutations
-Describe, write, and solve equations with alpha decay, beta decay, electron capture, positron
capture, and gamma ray emissions
-Solve problems involving half-life
-Describe nuclear fission and nuclear fusion; give examples and explain each of their uses
-Give examples of applications and uses of nuclear radiation
-Describe advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy from nuclear fission
22-1 The Nucleus
Nuclide: an atom that is identified by the number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus
Mass defect: the difference between the mass of an atom and the sum of the masses of its protons, neutrons, and
electrons
Notating atoms: Element-Mass Number OR
ex. Radium:

Radium-228 or

22-2 Radioactive Decay

Nuclear reaction:
a reaction that affects the nucleus of an atom
Transmutation:
a change in the identity of a nucleus as a result of a change in the number of its protons
Artificial transmutation: the bombardment of stable nuclei with charged and uncharged particles
Radioactive decay:
the spontaneous disintegration of a nucleus into a slightly lighter and more stable
nucleus, accompanied by emission of particles, electromagnetic radiation, or
both
Nuclear radiation:
particles or electromagnetic radiation emitted from the nucleus during radioactive decay
Radioactive nuclide:

an unstable nucleus that undergoes radioactive decay

Decay series:

a series of radioactive nuclides produced by successive radioactive decay until a stable

nuclide is reached

Types of Radioactive Decay

Type
Symbol
Charge
Alpha particle
2+

Mass (amu)
4.002 60

Consists of
Helium nucleus: 2
protons, 2 neutrons

Stopped by
Paper/skin

Beta particle

1-

0.000 5486

High energy e-

Clothing, glasses, foil

Positron

1+

0.000 5486

Positron

Clothing, glasses, foil

Photon (particle of light)

without mass

A few feet of
dirt/concrete

Gamma ray

Alpha decay: number of neutrons

and protons reduce to increase
stability of nucleus
- alpha particle: two protons and two
neutrons bound together (Helium)

Beta decay: occurs when there are

too many neutrons
- Beta particle: an electron emitted
from the nucleus
- neutron -> proton + electron:

Positron Emission: occurs when

there are too many protons
- positron: positively charged
electron
- proton -> neutron + positron:

Mass number (-4)

Atomic Number (-2)
Example:

Atomic number (+1)

Example:

Atomic number (-1)

Example:

Electron capture: inner orbital electron is captured

by the nucleus of its own atom
- Occurs when there are excess protons
- Inner orbital electron combines with proton to form neutron
- Opposite of Beta emission
Atomic number (-1)
Example:

Gamma Emission: occurs following other types of

decay that leave nucleus in excited state
- Achieves stability by releasing energy
- Always accompanies another radioactive process
- Gamma ray: high-energy electromagnetic waves
emitted from a nucleus as it changes from an excited
state to a ground energy state
Does not change mass or atomic number

Half-Life
Half-life: time required for half of the atoms of a radioactive nuclide to decay

X = the amount of a radioactive nuclide remaining

22-3 Nuclear Radiation

Applications of Nuclear Radiation: Radioactive dating, Medicine, and
Agriculture
Radioactive dating: the process by which the approximate age of an
object is determined based on the amount of certain radioactive
nuclides
- Eg. Carbon-14 used to estimate age of organic material up to
50,000 years old
Radioactive tracers: radioactive atoms that are incorporated into
substances so that movement of the substances can be followed by
radiation detectors
o Medicine
o Radioactive nuclides destroy cancer cells
o Tracers diagnose cancer and disease
o

Chain reaction

Agriculture
o

Radioactive tracers in fertilizers determine its

effectiveness

Prolongs food shelf life

22-4 Nuclear Fission and Fusions

Chain Reaction:
a reaction in which the material that starts
the reaction is
also one of the products and
can start another reaction
Critical mass:
the minimum amount of nuclide that provides
the number of
neutrons needed to sustain a
chain reaction
Nuclear Reactors:
devices that use controlledHalf-Life Example
fission chain
reactions
to produce energy or radioactive
The half-life of radium-226 is 1599 years. How many years
nuclides
are needed for the decay of 15/16 of a given amount of
radium-226?
Nuclear fission: a very heavy nucleus splits into more
stable nuclei of intermediate mass (ex: atomic bomb)
Nuclear fusion: light mass nuclei combine to form a
heavier, more stable nucleus (ex. Hydrogen bomb,
stars); stronger than nuclear fission

4 x 1599 = 6396 years

Nuclear Power Plants

Nuclear power plants: a facility that uses heat from nuclear reactors to produce electrical energy
Nuclear reactors: devices that use controlled-fission chain reactions to produce energy or radioactive nuclides

-Five components: shielding, fuel, control rods, moderator, coolant

Shielding:

radiation-absorbing material that is used to decrease radiation exposure from nuclear reactors,
especially gamma rays

Control rods:
Moderator:

neutron-absorbing rods that help control the reaction by limiting the number of free neutrons
a material used to slow down the fast neutrons produced by fission

-Problems: environmental requirements, safety, plant construction costs, storage of spent fuel

Practice Problems

Answers

1. What is the difference between a fission and fusion reaction?

Name examples of each.

1.

2. Write a nuclear equation for the following radioactive

processes:
a. Alpha decay of francium-208
b. Electron capture by beryllium-7
c. Beta emission by argon-37
d. Positron emission by fluorine-17

In nuclear fission, a heavy nuclear splits into two or

more more stable nuclei
In nuclear fusion, light-mass nuclei combine to form a
more stable nucleus.
Fission - atomic bomb
Fusion - hydrogen bomb

2.

3. Complete the equations for these transmutation reactions:

3.
4. After 24 days, 0.125 grams remains of a 1.00 g sample of
Iodine-131. What is the half-life of Iodine-131?
5. Consider a certain type of nucleus that has a half-life of 30
minutes. Calculate the percent of original sample of nuclides
remaining after 3.0 hours have passed.
6. Describe two applications of nuclear radiation in society.
7. Describe the conditions under which alpha decay, beta decay,

4.
5.

8 days
1.56%

6. The half life of radioactive certain nuclides are used

to estimate the age of an object in radioactive dating.
Radioactive tracers are used in the medical diagnosis of

positron emission, electron capture, and gamma ray emission

each will occur.

cancerous cells and to test the effectiveness of fertilizers.

Radioactive nuclides are used to destroy cancerous cells
and prolong the shelf life of food.

8. How is energy produced in nuclear power plants?

9. Which of the following statements is false?
a) Nuclei with an even number of protons and an even
aaaaanumber of neutrons tend to be stable.
b) rays are high-energy photons.
c) Nuclei with too few neutrons per proton tend to undergo
aaaaapositron emission.
d) Light nuclides are stable when the atomic number (Z)
aaaaaequals the mass number minus the atomic number (A Z).
e) Nuclei with too many neutrons per proton tend to undergo
aaaaapositron emission.
10. Which of the following processes decreases the atomic
number of a radioactive nuclide by 1?
a) gamma-ray production
b) electron capture
c) beta-particle production
d) positron production
e) At least two of these processes decrease the atomic
aaaaanumber by 1.

7.
Alpha decay occurs when a nucleus is too heavy.
Beta decay occurs when a nucleus contains too many
neutrons. Positron emission occurs when a nucleus
contains too many protons. Electron capture occurs when a
nucleus contains too many protons. Gamma ray emission
occurs following other types of decay that leave the
nucleus in an excited state, as the nucleus returns to its
ground energy state.

8. A nuclear power plant uses the heat that is produced in

nuclear reactors from controlled fission chain reactions in
order to produce electrical energy.

9.

10.