DR.

KHATRI MAHAVIDYALAYA,
TUKUM, CHANDRAPUR

TOPIC- COUNTERS (NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY)

Ku – SAMINA S. SAYYAD

M.SC 1ST Year

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

Dr. Khatri Mahavidyalaya Tukum,

 DR. KHATRI MAHAVIDYALAYA, TUKUM, CHANDRAPUR

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Ku. SAMINA FIRDOS
SAYYAD is bonafide student of Dr. Khatri
Mahavidyalaya Tukum Chandrapur has
successfully completed seminar work titled
“Counters(Nuclear Chemistry)” in partial
fulfillment of requirement completion of
practical course in Master of Science in
Miss Khushi Kose Chemistry of Gondwana University, Dr. Sharayu. S. Katkamwar
Assistant Professor Gadchiroli. Head Department of Chemistry
Dr. Khatri Mahavidyalaya Dr. Khatri Mahavidyalaya
Tukum, Tukum, Chandrapur
Chandrapur
Dr. KHATRI MAHAVIDYALAYA,
TUKUM, CHANDRAPUR
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
CERTIFICATE
Seminar on topic –
“Counter(Nuclear Chemistry)”

The Master degree in chemistry

Gondwana University,
Gadchiroli

Seminar By : KU. SAMINA FIRDOS SAYYAD

M.Sc 1st year [sem2] (Physical Chemistry)
Session- 2021-2022
Guided By: Dr. Sharayu S. Katkamwar
Head Department of Chemistry, Khatri College
Tukum, Chandrapur
INTRODUCTION

Nuclear Counter instruments are used to check both the environment and specific items for
Radioactivity. It is a radiation detector which measures a count rate but does not perform
energy spectrum analysis.
Every time a particle of radiation is detected, the counter records and the total number of
particles recorded over a period of time indicates the amount of radiation present.
Typically this is done over one minute intervals, resulting in "counts per minute" or CPM.
Higher CPM equals increased radiation levels.
Counters are of 4 types :

 Ionization Chamber Counter

 Proportional Counter
 Geiger Muller Counter
 Scintillation Chamber Counter
Ionization Chamber Counter
 The term “ion” usually refers to the positive member of the pair. Sometimes the electron is also
referred to as an ion. In the absence of an electric field, the ion pairs created in the gas of the detector
simply recombine 8 gas. However, if the ionization occurs between two oppositely charged
electrodes, and if the electric field is sufficiently strong, the positive and negative members of the ion
pairs will separate and be collected at the electrodes.

 They are referred to as gas detectors because the signal is produced when charged particles ionize
the gas in the detection chamber

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 If the gas is neon (the most common gas in a GM detector), the positive member of each ion pair is
a neon ion (Ne+) while the negative member of the pair is a freed electron (e-). If the detector gas is
air, the positive member of the ion pair is usually a positively charged nitrogen molecule (N2+) and
ADVANTAGE
1. Requires less voltage
2. Detect Neutron when gas will be replaced with BF₃
3. Detect high ionizing power particles.
4. Detect α particles when gas filled is H₂ .

LIMITATION
5. It cannot detect on low ionizing particle
6. When detect one particle, it require time for another.
 Proportional Counters
 The proportional counter is a gaseous ionization detector device used to count particles of
ionizing radiation.
 It has the ability to measure the energy of incident radiations and it is widely used between alpha
and beta particles.
 It operates at lower potential difference such that the magnitude of discharge is directly
proportional to the number of gas molecules ionized by the detected particle.
 They are used for neutron detection, and to some extent for x-ray spectroscopy.
 In a proportional counter, the filled gas of the chamber is an inert gas which is ionised by incident
radiation.
 An ionizing particle entering the gas collides with a molecule of the inert gas and ionises it to
produce an electron and a positively charged atom called “ion pair”.
 As the charged particle travels through the chamber it leaves a trail of ion pairs along its trajectory.
 Typically a 1 MeV stopped particle will create about 30,000 ion pairs.
 The chamber geometry and the applied voltage is such that in most of the chamber the electric field
strength is low and the chamber acts as an ion chamber.
ADVANTAGE
This Counter is capable of detecting high ionizing & low ionizing charged particle .
LIMITATIONS
In proportional counter gas amplification factor (M) depends on applied voltage and this applied
voltage must be maintained with the narrow limits .
 Geiger-Muller Counters(GM Counters)

 The Geiger-Muller counter is one of the oldest radiation detector types.

 It is simple, of low cost and has ease of operation.
 G-M counters comprise the third general category of gas-filled detectors based on ionization.
 They are used to detect alpha and beta particles, gamma and X-ray.
 G-M counters employ gas multiplication to greatly increases the charge represented by original ion-
pairs.
 In G-M counters, substantially, higher electric fields are created .
 Geiger counter instruments consist of two main elements, Geiger-Muller tube and display
electronics.
 The radiation sensing element is an inert gas-filled Geiger-Muller tube usually containing helium,
neon or argon with halogens added, which briefly conducts electrical charge.
 The tube has the property of being able to amplify each ionization event by means of Townsend
avalanche effect and produces a current pulse which is passed to the processing electronics.

Applications:
 Particle detection: Detection of alpha and beta particles.
 Gamma and X-ray detection: Detection of gamma radiation and windowless tube is used.
ADVANTAGE
 It can count nuclear radiations - α , β
 Pulse Height is good

DISADVANTAGE
 It can act slow.
 Neutron particles cannot be counted.
 Scintillation Counter

 It is an instrument used for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation.

 It consists of a scintillator which generates photons of light in response to incident radiation, a
sensitive photomultiplier tube which converts the light into an electrical signal.
 They are inexpensive yet have good quantum efficiency and can measure both the intensity and
energy of incident radiation.
 Principle:
 Incident radiation interact with material
 Atoms are raised to excited states
 Excited states emit visible light
 Light strikes photosensitive surface.
 Release of photoelectron.
ADVANTAGES :
1. The Scintillation Counter can be used for the measurement of α, β & γ - rays we have to change the
phosphor.
2. The amplification is very high is about to

LIMITATIONS :
3. Large number of radiations are wasted as the source is kept outside the metal box.
4. The instrument is costly.