Learning Objectives: Specification References Know that radioactive decay is where Lnstable nucle emit radiation to ty and become more stable Know that radioactive substances may emit neutrons, alpha particles, beta particles or gamma rays from their nuclei Know that an alpha particle consists of {wo protons and two neutrons. Know that a beta particle isa high- speed electron, Know that beta particles are emitted when a neutron changes into a proton. Know that a gamma ray isa high frequency electromagnetic wave Know the penetration, range in air and ionising power of alpha, beta and gamma radiation ‘Understand some of the uses of alpha, beta and gamma radiation and be able to evaluate the best source for a given use Know that alpha decay changes the ‘mass and charge of a nucleus, beta decay changes only the charge and gamma radiation changes neither Know the nuclear equation symbols for alpha and beta particles. Be able to construct and balance nuclear equations of alpha and beta decay. 4421, 4.4.2.2 3. Radioactivity Radioactivity is all to do with things randomly giving out radiation. Some radiation is ionising, which means it can knock electrons off atoms to create fons. You need to know about three types of ionising radiation. Radioactive decay Unstable isotopes tend to decay into other elements and give out radiation as they try to become more stable. This process is called radioactive decay. This process is entirely random. This means that if you have a load of unstable nuclei, you can’t say when any one of them is going to decay, and neither can you do anything at all to make a decay happen. It’s completely unaffected by physical conditions like temperature, or by any sort of chemical bonding, ete, Radioactive substances emit ionising radiation. lonising radiation is radiation that knocks electrons off atoms, creating positive ions. The ionising power of a radiation source tells you how easily it can do this. Radioactive substances spit out one or more types of ionising radiation from their nucleus as they decay. The types you need to know about are alpha, beta and gamma. They can also release neutrons (n) as they decay, as they try to rebalance their atomic and mass numbers. Alpha decay Alpha radiation is when an alpha particle, a, is emitted from the nucleus. ‘An alpha particle is two neutrons and two protons — the same as a helium nucleus. When an atom decays by emitting an alpha particle, two protons and two neutrons are lost from the nucleus, AAs protons have a relative charge of +1, alpha emission decreases the charge on the nucleus (and the atomic number) by 2. The mass number decreases by 4, as protons and neutrons each have a relative mass of 1. See page 128 for an example. B em 22} —& ustble ‘An alpha parte (wo neutons mucous ane vo pots) fst rm te maces. Figure 1: An unstable nucus decaying by emitingan ap patil Alpha partite are relatively big, heavy and slow-moving. This means they don’t penetrate very far into materials and are stopped quickly. They only travel a few centimetres in air and are absorbed by a sheet of paper. Because of their size they are strongly ionising — they bash into a lot of atoms and knock electrons off them before they slow down, which creates lots of ions. Alpha radiation is used in smoke detectors, It fonises air particles, causing 2 current to flow. If there is smoke in the air, the smoke binds to the ions, reducing the number available to carry a current. The current falls and the alarm sounds. Topic 4 Momio StructureBeta decay A beta particle, 8, is just a fast-moving electron released by a nucleus. So it has virtually no mass and a relative charge of -1 (see page 123). ‘When a nucleus decays by beta decay, a neutron turns into a proton in the nucleus, releasing a G-particle. This increases the charge on the nucleus (and the atomic number) by 1 but leaves the mass number unchanged. See page 129 for an example, Q = 3 —_- unstable ‘A neutron turns into a proton and. nucleus a beta particle (electron) is released. Figure 2: An unstable nucleus decaying by emitting a beta particle, Beta particles move quite fast and they are quite small. They are moderately ionising and penetrate moderately far into materials before colliding. They have a range in air of a few metres and can be absorbed by a sheet of aluminium (around 5 mn thick) Beta emitters are used to test the thickness of thin sheets of metal, as the particles are not immediately absorbed by the material like alpha radiation would be, and do not penetrate as far as gamma rays Gamma decay ‘Gamma rays, 7, are very short wavelength electromagnetic (EM) waves (see page 242) released by the nucleus. Gamma rays have no mass and no charge They penetrate far into materials without being stopped and pass straight through air. This means they are weakly ionising because they tend to pass through rather than collide with atoms. Eventually they hit something and do damage. They can be absorbed by thick sheets of lead or metres of concrete. Gamma radiation is used in situations where a source needs to be detected through a thick material — e.g, for detecting cracks or blockages in underground pipes, or flaws in thick sheets of metal Nuclear equations You can write alpha and beta decays as nuclear equations. They are just ‘equations that show what atoms you start with, what radiation is emitted and what atoms you're left with. The mass and atomic numbers have to balance on both sides of the equation (before and after decay) You don’t write nuclear equations for gamma decays because they do not cchange the atomic mass or atomic number of the atom. Gamma emission is just a way of getting rid of excess energy, and can happen after an alpha or beta decay. know why a neutron turning into a proton releases a beta particle, but make sure you know that it comes from the nucleus. I's not just one of the electrons that are whizzing around outside the nucleus jumping of. Tip: In both alpha and beta decay, a new clement will be formed, as the number of protons in the nucleus ‘the atomic number) changes. Exam Tip You may be asked to talk about how the properties of different types of radiation ‘make them suitable for different uses. Tip: Gamma radiation is slightly different to alpha and beta radiation because it’s an EM wave instead of a particle. Tip: Some more uses (of gamma radiation are covered on pages 138-139, Topic 4 Atomic Struoture raTip: Gamma rays (symbol: 7) have no protons or neutrons and no charge so we just write them as 27 if we need to. Exam Tip You won't have to work cout what the elements are (eg, Pu, U)in ‘nuclear equations. You only need to be able tobalance the atomic and mass numbers and identify the type of decay falpha or beta You'll need to be familiar with the notation on page 123, and how alpha and beta particles can be writen in this notation = Alpha particles are helium nuclei (symbol: He or a) with 2 protons and 2 neutrons, so they are written $He. = Beta particles are electrons (symbol: ¢ or {so they have no protons or neutrons, and the mass number is 0. The number of protons is 0, but we write -1 where the atomic number goes because a beta particle has a charge of -1. This helps us balance the charges on each side. So a beta particle is written Eee ere) Uranium-238 can decay into thorium-234 by emitting an alpha particle, Uranium has 92 protons and thorium has 90 protons. B B er rte uranium-238 thorium-234 The nuclear equation for this decay looks like this: 2U— STh+3He On the left-hand side: On the right-hand side: = The mass number is 238. = The total of the mass numbers is: 23444 = 238, = The atomic number is 92. = The total of the atomic numbers is: 90 42 = 92. So both sides of the equation balance. Balance the following equation: "Pu ™“U_+ jHe Make these equations balance: 238 — 234 + 9 2 Balancing mass numbers, 238 = 234 + 4, so the mass number of He is 4 Balancing atomic numbers, 94 = 92 + 2, so the atomic number of U is 92. The full equation is: pus AU + He TEEN erie 4 Atomic SiuctureSee Carbon-14 can decay into nitrogen-14 by emitting a beta particle (when a neutron turns into a proton). B ah 8 Bice carbon-14 nitrogen 14 The equation iss “C= "N+"¢ and the mass and atomic numbers balance on each side. Brill Practice Questions — Fact Recall QI What does it mean if a substance is radioactive? 2 How can you change the rate of radioactive decay? 3. Putalpha, beta and gamma radiation in order of their ionising strength. Q4 Describe what each type of radiation named in Q3 is made of. Q5_ What 2 numbers must be equal on both sides of a nuclear equation? Pree Cee iene QI This diagram shows the paths of three types of radiation, A, B and C, being directed towards a human hand and ¢ f a thick metal sheet. 1a) Which radiation (A or B) is more penetrating? How can you tell? b) Which radiation (A or B) is likely to be alpha radiation? Why? ©) Explain what radiation C is likely to be and how you know. Q2_ Americium-241 decays into neptunium-237. The nuclear equation for this decay is: 22am — Np + SHe What type of decay is this — alpha or beta? Q3__Radium-228 decays into actinium-228 by emitting an electron. a) What is the name of this decay? b) Complete the following nuclear equation for this decay: wRa— “Ac + fe Q4 Radioactivity can be used to measure the thickness of paper during manufacture. beta source is placed on one side of the paper, and a detector detects how much beta radiation gets through it. Explain why this process couldn't use: a) an alpha source, ) a gamma source. Topie 4 Alomie Structure