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Chemistry radioactivity essay
Chemistry radioactivity essay
Types of Nuclear Energy
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Types of radiation
Stable/unstable isotopes: Unstable if the atomic number is greater than 83 or if the ratio of neutrons to protons places it outside the zone of stability (1:1.3 – 1:1.5).
Alpha: Ionizing radiation emitted by some substances undergoing radioactive decay. It is in fact a helium nucleus with a +2 charge. It is formed when the ratio of neutrons to protons in the nucleus is too low which causes the element to be in an unstable energy state.
Alpha radiation is unable to penetrate paper as shown in the diagram. Despite their inability to cause damage from outside the body, if ingested they are able to ionise the particles within the body as it has a positive charge.
Likewise with alpha particles being unable to penetrate through paper or human skin they cannot travel more than a few inches through air from the source.
Examples of alpha emitters are uranium, radium
U ---- > He + Th Uranium ---- > Helium + Thorium
Ra ---- > He + Rn Raidum ----- > Helium + Radon
Beta: Is also an ionizing radiation which is an electron with a charge of -1. This release occurs when there are too many neutrons in the nucleus again causing the atom to become unstable. In this case a neutron is broken up into a proton and an electron. The proton stays within the nucleus while the electron is emitted as radiation.
As shown in the diagram beta particles can penetrate through the paper but not human skin again needing ingestion or access through a cut in the skin to be harmful. They are able to travel further than Alpha particles but only up to a few meters in air.
n ----- > p + e
Co ----- > Ni + e
C ----- > N + ...
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...p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transuranium_element
http://www.easychem.com.au/production-of-materials/nuclear-methods/transuranic-elements
http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/nuclear_waste_types/nuclear_waste_types.html
http://hsc.csu.edu.au/chemistry/core/identification/chem925/925net.html#net4
http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/elements-116-118.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotope_separation
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf56.html
http://www.clw.csiro.au/services/isotope/
http://hsc.csu.edu.au/chemistry/core/identification/chem925/925net.html
http://scientist.hmarka.net/2011/02/znse-sensors-for-nucleonic-thickness-gauges/
http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/44/8/1362/F1.expansion.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geiger_counter
http://www.radiationsafety.wisc.edu/docs/lsc_guide.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californium#History
When the released neutrons attach to other isotopes of Uranium 235, this can result in a chain reaction of fission. For every generation of fission, the amount of fission is doubled, and this results in an extreme outburst of energy. The amount of energy released by this process is related to Einstein’s famous equation “E=mc2” (Wolf). Einstein's equation "E=mc2" has two sides, which are constructive and destructive. The constructive side is when energy is converted into mass, and the destructive side is when a small amount of mass is converted into energy.
This element when becoming an isotope can become radioactive due to its high activity as a metal. In its natural state it is a soft metal and it has a shiny “ wax “ like silver/white color to it, it is so soft that a knife could cut through it without a problem.
Ionizing radiation has enough energy to break chemical bonds and knock electrons out of atoms, some examples of these are x-rays and ultraviolet light rays from the sun. That is why radiation is a way to treat cancer because of the strong energy it has to destroy a cancer cell, actually any cell in the body. That’s the issue with radiation therapy, is it worth the damage? It can damage any cell, whether it is healthy or cancerous, which can cause a major affect in the body later on. Although it sounds scary, there are other types of treatments such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy, etc.
Isotopes refer to 1 of 2 or more atoms with the same atomic number but different numbers of neutrons. The atom copper has two stable isotopes. They are 63Cu and 65Cu. 63Cu has an isotope atomic mass (in atom) of 62.9295989 and a natural abundance (in atom %) of 69.17. 65Cu has an isotope atomic mass (in atom) of 64.9277929 and a natural abundance (in atom %) of 30.83.
Radiation can either be ionizing or non-ionizing depending on how the radiation itself affects matter. Non-ionizing radiation includes visible light, heat, microwaves, and radio waves. This particular type of radiation deposits energy in the materials that it passes through but cannot break molecular bonds or remove electrons from atoms. Ionizing radiation on the other hand has enough energy to break molecular bonds and displace atoms. The displaced electron creates two charged particles known as ions which can cause changes in living cells.
Apart of becoming a new patient at a dental office is taking an x-ray and some may have question along with taking an x-ray, like “will I be affected by the x-ray?” or “will I get cancer?”, “how long will it take” “are x-ray’s safe?”, the list goes on and on. So in this paper we will talk about different types of radiation affects such as affects on children and pregnant women as well as some things that may help reduce some of the radiation that may harm the human body.
To understand what a radioactive isotope is a basic understanding of the atom is necessary. Atoms are comprised of three subatomic particles : protons, neutrons and electrons. Protons and neutrons bind together to form the nucleus of the atom, while the electrons surround and orbit the nucleus. Protons and electrons have opposite charges and therefore attract one another (electrons are negative and protons are positive, and opposite charges attract), and in most cases the number of electrons and protons are the same for an atom (making the atom neutral in charge). The neutrons are neutral. Their purpose in the nucleus is to bind protons together. Because the protons all have the same charge and would naturally repel one another, the neutrons act as "glue" to hold the protons tightly together in the nucleus.
There are numerous reasons as to why I want to pursue my dream of becoming a radiation therapist. The most important reason is because I love to help other people overcome any problem they are facing. However saving a patient’s life through radiation would be even more amazing. Not to mention, after obtaining the proper education, the salary I receive will be fairly high. Cancer has recently become a part of many families, including my own. I see what a few of my family members are going through and having to struggle with every single day in order to live to see another day, The struggles that they go through have opened my mind in many ways, I wish I was the one that they could come to for a chance of survival, but I can’t, so in order for me to help cancer patients fight for their lives, I will obtain the proper education, licenses, and possess the numerous skills needed by a radiation therapist..
...st spacecraft. The particles vaporize on impact with solids and pass through gases, but can be trapped in aerogels.
Beta radiation/emission – Beta particles are electrons (0-1e) that have been released from the nucleus of a radioactive atom when a neutron decays into a proton and electron. Beta decay/emission happens when the neutron to proton ratio is too high due to excess neutrons. 10n 11p + 0-1e (mass is still conserved as well as number of protons.)
The energy in ionizing radiation can cause chemical changes in the the cells that can lead to damaging them. Most of the cells can either permanently or temporarily become abnormal or they can just die. Radiation can cause cancer by damaging the DNA in the body. The damage of the cells can also depend on how long the organs are exposed (environmental protection agency, 2017, unknown). If someone has many exposures at one time that radiation in the body keeps adding on. As well as if its only a little bit of exposure in on day and years later you get exposed again it keeps adding on the radiation will never leave the body. Having radiation in your body doesn’t affect you right away but as you get older it starts to show and you feel it. Chronic exposure is when someone is exposed many time for long periods. When this happens the type of effects it will carry is having harmful generic change, cancer, tumors, and even cataracts. Partial health effects can also depend on if it was internal or external exposure. Internal exposure is when either by drinking, breathing, eating and even an injection cause radiation to get inside your body. External exposure is when taking an x-ray out of your body and letting it go through letting all the energy go as it goes in (environmental protection agency, 2017, unknown). In the dental world radiation gets into the patients when we take x-rays on there teeth. In order to avoid to much radiation on them we put a lead apron on them and make sure to cover their thyroid which is the most common way of getting cancer when taking an x-ray. When we take the x-ray we stand behind a wall at least 6 feet away to avoid ourself from getting
The Industrial Revolution sparked a need for large sources of energy. Human and animal labor could not provide the power necessary to power industrial machinery, railroads, and ships. The steam engine and later the internal combustion engine provided the bulk of the energy required by the industrial age. Today most nations are still heavily reliant on energy that comes from combustion. Usually coal, petrolium, and natural gas are used. Some hydroelectric, wind power, and nuclear fission sources are used, but in the US they accounted for less than 20% of the total energy consumption in 1997 (1). Many experts are worried that natural resources such as coal and petrolium are being depleted faster than they are being replenished, which could result in an energy crisis. Nuclear fission produces highly radioactive waste that is expensive to dispose of properly. Nuclear fusion reactors would produce much less radioactive waste and would be more efficient than nuclear fission, but to date there have been no nuclear fusion reactors that have generated usable energy output. Why is fusion power, which could be very beneficial, so hard to come by?
For this work, Rutherford won the 1908 Nobel Prize in chemistry. In 1909, now at the University of Manchester, Rutherford was bombarding a thin gold foil with alpha particles when he noticed that although almost all of them went through the gold, one in eight thousand would "bounce" (i.e., scatter) back. The amazed Rutherford commented that it was "as if you fired a 15-inch naval shell at a piece of tissue paper and the shell came right back and hit you."