Nuclear Chemistry Chapter Summary

Larry Brown
Tom Holme
www.cengage.com/chemistry/brown
Chapter 14
Nuclear Chemistry
Technological University of the Philippines - Taguig Campus

Basic Arts and Sciences Department
Chemistry Section
Chapter Objectives
• describe cosmic rays and some of the ways that

they influence Earth and its atmosphere.
• write, balance, and interpret equations for simple
nuclear reactions.
• define and distinguish among various modes of
nuclear decay, including alpha decay, beta decay,
positron emission, and electron capture.
• interpret the kinetics of radioactive decay using
first-order rate equations.
• use the chart of the nuclides to understand and
explain how radioactive decay processes increase
nuclear stability.
2
Chapter Objectives
• use Einstein’s equation to calculate the binding
energies of nuclei and the energy changes of
nuclear reactions.
• describe nuclear fission and fusion and explain how
both processes can be highly exothermic.
• discuss the potential of both fission and fusion as
energy sources and identify the pros and cons of
the two technologies.
• explain how penetrating power and ionizing power
combine to determine the effect of radiation on
materials, including living tissues.
• describe how radioisotopes can be used in medical
imaging techniques to monitor organ function.
3
4
Review
Atomic number (Z) = number of protons in nucleus
Mass number (A) = number of protons + number of neutrons
= atomic number (Z) + number of neutrons
Mass Number A
Atomic Number Z X Element Symbol
proton neutron electron positron  particle

1p or 1H 1n 0e or 0 0e or 0 4He 4
or
1 1 0 -1 -1 +1 +1 2 2
A 1 1 0 0 4
Z 1 0 -1 +1 2
5
Balancing Nuclear Equations
1. Conserve mass number (A).

The sum of protons plus neutrons in the products must
equal the sum of protons plus neutrons in the reactants.
235U + 1n 138Cs + 96 Rb +2 1n
92 0 55 37 0
235 + 1 = 138 + 96 + 2x1
2. Conserve atomic number (Z) or nuclear charge.

The sum of nuclear charges in the products must equal the
sum of nuclear charges in the reactants.
235U + 1n 138Cs + 96 Rb +2 1n
92 0 55 37 0
92 + 0 = 55 + 37 + 2x0
Chemical Reaction and Nuclear Reaction
Radioactivity and Nuclear Reaction
Radioactivity was proposed by Marie Curie to describe

the emission of ionizing radiation by some of the
heavier elements.
Ionizing radiation, as the name implies, interacts with

matter to produce ions. This means that the radiation
is sufficiently energetic to break chemical bonds.
7
• Radioactive decay
Alpha rays - Those that were stopped by the metal he called
Beta rays - Those that passed through were called.
Gamma ray -. which passed through the field undeflected.
8
PARENT DAUGHTER
9
10
1
12
13
14
• Electron capture
the nucleus captures an electron from the first (n = 1) shell
in the atom. Because that first level is also called the “K
shell,” electron capture is often referred to as K capture.
15
16
Collision of any particle with

its antiparticle results in the
annihilation of both particles
and the complete
conversion of their masses
to energy. The annihilation
of a positron and an electron
produces two 511-keV
gamma-ray photons.
17
Exercise 14.3: Complete the following equations with the

correct particles and identify the mode of decay.
18
Kinetics of Radioactive Decay
Becquerel (Bq)
- One nuclear disintegration
per second (d/s)
19
20
21
22
23
• Radiocarbon dating
14N +0 1n 14C + 1H
7 6 1
14C 14N + 0 +  t = 5730 years

6 7 -1 ½
24
Nuclear Stability
Why does C-14 dec

and C-13 and C-12 d
not?
26
Nuclear Stability
Energetics and Nuclear Reactions
28
29
30
31
32
• Magic Numbers and Nuclear Shells

The noble gases, with atomic numbers of 2, 10, 18, 36, 54,
and 86, provide the clearest examples of filled shells or
subshells of atomic orbitals.
Magic numbers
It is also possible to identify a set of isotopes that show
special stability. These unusually stable isotopes have
atomic numbers, Z, or neutron numbers, N, of 2, 8, 20, 28,
50, 82, 126, or 184
33
Transmutation, Fission and Fusion
34
• Transmutation: Changing One Nucleus into Another

14N +2 4 17O + 1p
7 8 1
27Al +2 4 30P + 1n
13 15 0
14N +1 1p 11C + 4
7 6 2
37
Exercise 14.9:
Calculate the energy released
by a nucleus of uranium-235 if
it splits into a barium-141
nucleus and a krypton-92
nucleus according to the
equation above.
38
3
9
235U +0 1n 90Sr + 143Xe + 31n + Energy

92 38 54 0
Energy = [mass 235U + mass n – (mass 90Sr + mass
143Xe + 3 x mass n )] x c2
Energy = 3.3 x 10-11J per 235U

= 2.0 x 1013 J per mole 235U
• Nuclear Reactors
41
• Nuclear Waste
42
4
4
4
Fusion Reaction Energy Released

2H 2H 3H + 11H
1+ 1 1 6.3 x 10-13 J
1
2H +1 3H
2
4He +
0
1n 2.8 x 10-12 J
6Li
3 +1 2H 22 4He 3.6 x 10-12 J solar fusion
Tokamak magnetic
plasma confinement
Interaction of radiation and matter
• Ionizing and penetrating power of radiation

The impact of any radiation exposure also depends
critically on two characteristics of the radiation
itself, commonly referred to as penetrating power
and ionizing power
Any radiation can be classified as either ionizing or
nonionizing; based on the energy carried by a
photon or particle.
4
Ionizing, if that energy is greater than the ionization

energy of typical atoms or molecules, then we
should expect that the radiation could induce
ionization in whatever material it encounters.
Nonionizing radiation includes visible light, radio

waves, and microwaves; all have photon energies
smaller than typical ionization energies.
4
• Methods of detecting radiation

1. Scintillation Counter
2. Portable Geiger Counter
3. Film-badge Dosimeter
4
• Measuring radiation dose

The exposure measures the number of ions produced in air.
The Radiation absorbed dose (rad) , as the name implies,
measures the amount of radiation actually absorbed by a particu
material.
1 rad = 1 x 10-5 J/g of material
The Roentgen equivalent for man (rem), attempts to quantify the

resulting damage to human tissue.
1 rem = 1 rad x Q
The quality factor, Q, used in calculating the equivalent dose is

also known as the relative biological effectiveness (RBE). Quality
Factor : -ray = 1,  = 1,  = 20
51
Modern Modeling Imaging Methods
Positron emission tomography (PET) produces high-quality
images of the brain and other organs. The technique is based
on the simultaneous detection of pairs of gamma ray photons
produced when a positron and an electron collide. This makes
it possible to measure even low signal levels very accurately.
53

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Larry Brown

Technological University of the Philippines - Taguig Campus

• describe cosmic rays and some of the ways that

proton neutron electron positron  particle

Balancing Nuclear Equations

1. Conserve mass number (A).

235 + 1 = 138 + 96 + 2x1

2. Conserve atomic number (Z) or nuclear charge.

Radioactivity was proposed by Marie Curie to describe

Ionizing radiation, as the name implies, interacts with

Collision of any particle with

Exercise 14.3: Complete the following equations with the

14C 14N + 0 +  t = 5730 years

Why does C-14 dec

• Magic Numbers and Nuclear Shells

• Transmutation: Changing One Nucleus into Another

235U +0 1n 90Sr + 143Xe + 31n + Energy

Energy = 3.3 x 10-11J per 235U

Fusion Reaction Energy Released

• Ionizing and penetrating power of radiation

Ionizing, if that energy is greater than the ionization

Nonionizing radiation includes visible light, radio

• Methods of detecting radiation

• Measuring radiation dose

The Roentgen equivalent for man (rem), attempts to quantify the

The quality factor, Q, used in calculating the equivalent dose is

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