Name_______________________________ Hour_________
Nuclear Chemistry Packet
Chemistry
Nuclear reaction: a reaction where a change in the atom’s_________________ occurs. This means that in a nuclear
reaction, one element can change into another.
Differences between a chemical reaction and a nuclear reaction:
Chemical reactions
Nuclear reactions
Occur when nuclei emit particles and/or rays.
Atoms remain unchanged, though they may be
rearranged.
Atoms are often converted into atoms of another
element.
Involve only valence electrons.
Associated with small energy changes.
Reaction rate is influenced by temperature, pressure,
concentration, and catalysts.
Reaction rate is not normally affected by
temperature, pressure, or catalysts.
NUCLEUS
Remember the two subatomic particles inside a nucleus: protons (_______________)
and neutrons (______ _______________).
Think about putting two positive ends of a magnet together. What happens?
____________ _________________So if the nucleus is made up of only things with a
positive charge and no charge, how does a nucleus stay together?
STRONG FORCE!!
The nuclear strong force acts upon subatomic particles that are extremely __________
___________________ to overcome the electrostatic ________________ from protons.
**As _________ ________________ increases (the number of protons increases) more and more _______________
need to be added to produce a strong nuclear force able to overcome the repulsion from protons.
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For elements 1-20—a ratio of
For elements 21 and up,
Why are these ratios important??
Good ratio means:
Isotopes:
Wrong ratio means:
Radioisotopes: Isotopes that are ____________________. They are radioactive because of
an ________________ nucleus. Radioisotopes emit radiation to undergo radioactive decay
(___________ ___________) in order to become _______________ ________________.
TYPES OF RADIATION
Alpha:
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Beta:
He
______ ____________
Can be blocked by _______
Contains 2 p+ and 2 n0
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Gamma:
β
Low-medium energy
Can be blocked by ________
Contains 1 electron (charge: -1)
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γ
______ __________
Can only be blocked by lead
Contains ____ _________
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
Hints:
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Mass number of _____________ = _________ ________________ of products
___________ ______________ of reactants = atomic number of _______________
________________ isotope decays into the ___________________ isotope
You try:
1. In each of the reactions above, label the daughter isotope (D) and the parent isotope (P).
2. Explain this picture. Why does one curve up, one curve down, and one not curve at all.
3. Complete the following reactions
a.
Ar 

b.
c.
K +
Al + He
Pa 
d.
Tc 
e.
U 
+
+ Y
He
+
4. Write out the following reactions
a. Rubidium-87 undergoes beta decay to become strontium-87
b. Phosphorous-32 undergoes beta decay
c. After emitting an alpha particle, Radium-226 becomes Radon-222
d. Polonium-210 undergoes alpha day