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

• Chapter 1 and Sections 27.1 - 27.4 (in Blackman, Bottle, Schmid, Mocerino and Wille, Chemistry, 3^rd Edition, 2015 (John Wiley))

• Nuclear chemistry (in ChemWiki)

Risk from Japanese nuclear reactors Description: 'Sydney Morning Herald' report Contributed by Adam Bridgeman

Balancing Nuclear Equations Tags: nuclear equations Contributed by Adam Bridgeman

Balancing Nuclear Equations Description: YouTube tutorial Tags: nuclear equations Contributed by Adam Bridgeman

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

Predicting radioactive decay Description: How to predict whether a nucleus is radioactive and how it will decay Tags: radioactivity Contributed by Adam Bridgeman

Radioactive decay equations Description: How to write and balance nuclear equations Tags: radioactivity Contributed by Adam Bridgeman

Radioactivity Calculations 1 (short video tutorial) Description: Calculating activities of radioactive elements Tags: Half lives | activity | radioactivity Contributed by Liz New

Radioactivity Calculations 2 (short video tutorial) Description: Calculating the age of a sample using carbon dating Tags: Half lives | activity | radioactivity Contributed by Liz New

Atomic and Nuclear Structure Contributed by Adam Bridgeman

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

Radioactivity Calculations Description: Video tutorials and self assessment quiz Tags: Half lives | activity | radioactivity Contributed by Adam Bridgeman