COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL

SCIENCES
BS-ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
SEMESTER: SPRING-2020
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Topic: Radioactivity
Awais Hassan(BSEN01201003)
BS-Environmental Sciences
 History of Radioactivity
 French scientist Henri Becquerel was discovered
radioactivity by accident in 1896.
 Henri Becquerel considered father of radioactivity .

 A Uranium compound was placed in a drawer

containing photographic plates, wrapped in a black
paper. When the plates were examined later it was
found that they were exposed! This exposure gave
rise to the concept of Radioactive decay. 
History of Radioactivity
 The term radioactivity was 1st used by Marie Curie
in 1898.Curie and her husband , Pierre Curie,
found that radioactive particles were emitted as
either .
 They discovered two elements that emitted
radiation.
 These elements were named Polonium and
Radium
Radioactivity

 Radioactivity is a phenomenon exhibited by a

few matters of emitting energy and
subatomic particles spontaneously.
Radioactivity is due to the nuclear instability
of an atom.
Radioactivity can be seen in such forms

 Gamma Decay (Photons having high energy are

emitted)
 Beta Decay (Emission consists of Electrons)
 Alpha Decay (Emission consists of Helium
nucleus)
Laws of Radioactivity

 Radioactivity is the result of the decay of the nucleus.

 Rate of decay of the nucleus is independent of
temperature and pressure.
 Radioactivity is dependent on the law of
conservation of charge.
 The physical and chemical properties of the daughter
nucleus is different from the mother nucleus.
 The emission of energy from radioactivity is always
accompanied by alpha, beta, and gamma particles.
Uses of Radioactivity

 Used in domestic smoke detectors

 Used to sterile medical instruments
 Used to diagnose and treat diseases
 Used to produce electric power
Types of Radioactivity

 There are different types of radioactivity

depending on what particles or energy are
released during the reaction.
  Alpha particles
 Beta particles
 Gamma rays.
Alpha particle

 Alpha particles, also called alpha

rays or alpha radiation, consist of two 
protons and two neutrons bound together
into a particle identical to a helium-4 nucleus.
They are generally produced in the process
of alpha decay, but may also be produced in
other ways.. 
Beta particle

 A beta particle, also called beta ray or beta

radiation (symbol β), is a high-energy, high-speed 
electron or positron emitted by the radioactive decay
 of an atomic nucleus during the process of 
beta decay. There are two forms of beta decay,
β− decay and β+ decay, which produce electrons and
positrons respectively.
Gamma rays.

According to the agronomic theory of light,

the energy packets that run at the speed of
gamma resonance are photons.
 According to the wave theory of light,
gamma rays are electromagnetic waves that
emanate from non-stationary nuclei and have
higher frequencies and have higher
frequencies and lower wavelengths.
Penetrating Power 

 Alpha Radiation
 Alpha particles have the shortest range because they
have the highest ionizing power. Gamma radiations
pass easily through thick layers of concrete due to the
high speed and neutral nature of gamma radiations.
 Beta Radiation
 The range of beta radiation is greater than that of
alpha radiations and less than that of gamma
radiations. The range of alpha particles is a few
centimeters in the air. The range of beta radiations is
up to a few meters.
Penetrating Power

 However, game radiation range is up to a few

hundred meters in the air.