Ch. 21 NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY INTRO
Name_________________________ Hr____
1) In the space below, list anything that comes to mind when you think of "nuclear chemistry", "radioactivity",
and/or "nuclear power". These ideas can be things you are sure of, things you have heard of, or something
you have a question about.
2) ISOTOPE NOTATION REVIEW
Before we explore the specifics of radioactivity, we must be comfortable analyzing different isotopes of
elements and using isotope notation. Recall that for the following isotope, known as radium-226, we know
that its nuclei contain 88 protons and 138 neutrons (mass number minus atomic number = number of
neutrons). Since no ionic charge is present, there are also 88 electrons in these atoms.
226
88Ra
NAME
NOTATION
# of p+
# of no
# of e-
88
134
86
MASS #
Carbon-12
32 315P
Iodine-131
54
6
14
238
92U
Lead-____
128
___
___Tc
78
99
84
134
21.2 RADIOACTIVE DECAY
Name_______________________ Hr___
Radiation -- ___________________ or ______________________ emitted from a source.
Radioactive elements are usually _________________ of an atom with an unstable _________________.
What do we mean by an unstable nucleus? Too many or too few ___________________
All radioactive elements decay naturally into OTHER _______________________.
--the rate varies from _________________ to billions of ___________.
--this rate of decay cannot be ___________________.
Types of Radioactive Decay
Alpha particle
Symbol = ________
Nuclear Equation for Alpha Decay:
Beta particle
Symbol = ________
Nuclear Equation for Beta Decay:
Gamma ray
Symbol = ________
Nuclear Equation involving gamma rays:
Positron
Symbol = ________
Nuclear Equation for Positron Production:
Electron Capture
Symbol = ________
Nuclear Equation for Electron Capture: