Radioactivity

Radiation is the emission of energy in the form of waves or fast moving particles.
The energy carried by radiation can be transferred to matter. A common type of
radiation is electromagnetic waves. The type of electromagnetic radiation is
determined by its wavelength or frequency.

Radio waves and microwaves increase the temperature of atoms or molecules, while
radiation in or near the visible spectrum excites electrons up into higher energy levels.
The higher the frequency of a wave, the more energy it carries.
Ionizing radiation consists of waves or particles that carry enough energy to remove
an electron from an atom or molecule, turning it into a positive ion. The negatively
charged electrons and positively charged ions create ionizing radiation that can cause
cell damage, or alter the nitrogen base bonds in a strand of DNA, causing problems if
the cell reproduces. The same process also allows us to use ionizing radiation to kill
cancer cells.
Nuclear radiation is ionizing radiation emitted from the nucleus of an atom. An
unstable nucleus spontaneously emits particles and electromagnetic radiation,
transforming an atom of one type into an atom of another. This phenomenon is called
radioactivity.
Radioactivity is the spontaneous disintegration of atomic nuclei through the emission
of radiation or particles.
ALPHA () DECAY
During alpha decay, a nucleus emits an alpha particle, which consists of two protons
and two neutrons, equivalent to a helium nucleus. The new element formed is called
a daughter nucleus. Many of the heavy nuclei, where the atomic number is greater
than 82, decay through alpha emission.

The general equation for alpha decay can be written as:

A
Z

X ZA42Y 24He

Note that there is a greater chance of alpha decay occurring in large nucleus than in a
small one. With few exceptions, alpha decay is only observed in nuclei with more
than 82 protons.
BETA () DECAY
Sometimes when a nucleus has too many neutrons to be stable the nucleus decays by
emitting an electron or a positron. Therefore, there are two basic kinds of beta decay:
electron emission and positron emission. Since the mass of the beta particle is
extremely small compared to the proton mass, the daughter nucleus has the same
atomic mass as the parent nucleus.
For an isotope to achieve greater stability a neutron becomes a proton in a process
called electron emission. When this occurs, an electron is emitted. When observing
- decay, the electrons kinetic energy is often less than expected from the laws of
conservation of mass and energy. This suggested the remaining energy is given to a
secondary particle called a neutrino, a neutral particle that has a very small rest mass.
When a neutron decays into a proton, it emits an electron and an antineutrino.
A
Z

X Z A1Y 10e

Positron emission is like the mirror image of electron decay. The unstable isotope
does not have enough neutrons to glue the protons together and a proton decays into
a neutron by emitting a positron and a neutrino.
A
Z

X Z A1Y 10e

ELECTRON CAPTURE
This is a form of beta decay in which an electron is absorbed by the nucleus and
combines with a proton to form a neutron.
A
Z

X 10eZ A1Y

GAMMA () DECAY
When an electron moves to a lower atomic energy level, a photon of light is emitted.
A similar phenomenon occurs in the nucleus. Nucleons usually exist at their lowest
possible energy level. Sometimes, usually after alpha or beta decay, the nucleons are
in an excited state and rearrange into a lower energy level by emitting electromagnetic
radiation. The difference between energy levels in the nucleus is much greater than
between energy levels of electrons, so the nucleus emits a high-energy gamma photon
instead of a photon of light.
A
Z

X * ZAY

The * indicates an excited state of the nucleus.

As previously stated, alpha or beta decay often leaves the daughter nucleus in a highly
excited state. The excited nucleus then makes a transition to its ground state,
emitting a gamma ray as it does so.

Examples:
Write the nuclear reaction equation for each of the following:
Alpha Decay
a.

238
92

b.

223
86

U
Rn

Beta Positive Decay

Beta Negative Decay

g.

22
11

h.

46
24

32
15

i.

d.

23
10

Ne

j.

e.

60
28

Ni *

f.

226
88

Ra *

Cr

Electron Capture

c.

Gamma Decay.

Na

214
83

141
58

Bi

Ce