Nuclear and Radiation Chemistry
Learning outcomes - after studying this topic, you should be able to:
- recognise nuclear reactions, including the major spontaneous decay mechanisms
- calculate the average atomic mass from isotope information
- balance nuclear reactions
- determine decay mechanisms of nuclides
- describe factors involved in nuclear stability
- describe the features of fission reactions and their control
- recognise stable and unstable nuclides
- predict the decay mechanism for an unstable isotope
- calculate the activity or half-life of an unstable nuclide from appropriate data.
- calculate the age of a sample using the carbon-14 method and know the underlying assumptions and appropriate timescale for its application
- explain the main factors that contributes to effective radiation dose, including penetrating power, activity, energy
- explain the main mechanism of biological damage by ionizing radiation
- explain the use of radioactive isotopes in medical imaging, and distinguish the information obtained from X-rays
- explain how isotope generators produce such as 99mTc for medical imaging, and give some examples of its use
- explain PET, the generation of radioisotopes by a cyclotron, and know the kinds of isotopes produced
Textbook and eBook References
ChemCAL, iChem and Contributed Resources
Fe[26]
Description: Similar to the 2048 game, you have to get to stable iron. Ideal for when you need a (brief) break from studying.
Tags: game | radioactivity
Contributed by Kat Badiola
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Predicting radioactive decay
Description: How to predict whether a nucleus is radioactive and how it will decay
Tags: radioactivity
Contributed by Adam Bridgeman
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Radioactivity Calculations Quiz
Description: The quiz has a large number of questions in its bank so you can practice again and again
Tags: Half lives | activity | radioactivity
Contributed by Adam Bridgeman
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Radioactivity Calculations
Description: Video tutorials and self assessment quiz
Tags: Half lives | activity | radioactivity
Contributed by Adam Bridgeman
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