Natural Transmutations

Introduction Nuclear reactions occur all around us. Without these reactions we wouldn’t be able to carbon date fossils, our smoke detectors wouldn’t work, and we couldn’t rely on fission reactions as an energy source. In this activity you will gain an understanding of what occurs to the nucleus during a nuclear reaction. It is important to understand that nuclear reactions can be described similarly to chemical reactions through the use of an equation. The difference between chemical and nuclear reactions lies in how the atom is affected. Chemical reactions involve an atom’s electrons while nuclear reactions involve the atom’s nucleus. In nuclear reactions, the entire nucleus of an unstable isotope changes by releasing radioactive decay. In this activity you will examine alpha decay, beta decay, and positron emission. Terminology Match the correct definition to the term. Transmutation the conversion of one chemical element or an isotope into another chemical element Radioisotope any of several species of the same chemical element with different masses whose nuclei are unstable Alpha Decay spontaneous radioactive decay where a particle made up of 2 protons and 2 neutrons is emitted from an unstable nucleus Beta Decay spontaneous radioactive decay where a particle having a mass of 0 and a -1 charge is emitted from the nucleus when a neutron is converted to a proton Positron Decay spontaneous radioactive decay where a particle having a mass of 0 and a +1 charge is emitted from the nucleus when a proton is converted to a neutron General Natural Transmutation Reactions:Examine the following general nuclear reactions and answer the questions that follow. What is the total mass of the products in reaction #1? Mass = 237What is the total charge of the products in reaction #1? Charge = +92What is the total mass of the products in reaction #2? Mass = 198What is the total charge of the products in reaction #2? Charge = +86What is the total mass of the products in reaction #3? Mass = 26What is the total charge of the products in reaction #3? Charge = +14 For all three reactions, compare the total mass of the products to the total mass of the reactant. The mass of the reactant is the same as the total mass of the products.For all three reactions, compare the total charge of the products to the total charge of the reactant. The charge of the reactant is the same as the total charge of the products. Alpha Decay 1. Circle the common product (Alpha Particle) in the reaction below. Alpha Decay Video Watch the following video to see if you got the question above correct. It will also provide you with a few details that you need to know to answer questions that will follow the video. Which of the following notations represents an Alpha Particle? How many protons make up an alpha particle? 2 4 6 1 How many neutrons make up an alpha particle? 2 4 0 6 When a radioisotope emits an alpha particle, the mass of the radioisotope will decrease by 2 decrease by 4 increase by 2 increase by 4 When a radioisotope emits an alpha particle, the charge of that radioisotope will decrease by 2 decrease by 4 increase by 2 increase by 4 Examine the following Alpha Decay reactions to answer the following questions. When alpha decay occurs the number of protons will decrease by 2. The mass number will decrease by 4. The atomic number will decrease by 2. The number of neutrons will decrease by 2. Writing Alpha Decay Reactions Watch the following video on how to write Alpha Decay reactions before trying some on your own below. Writing Alpha Decay Reactions Write out the alpha decay reactions below by showing the products of the alpha decay of the following radioisotopes. Beta Decay Circle the common product of Beta Decay on the diagram below. Beta Decay Watch this video on Beta Decay before answering the questions below. Which of the following notations represent beta particles? What is the mass of a beta particle? 0 -1 2 4 +1 What is the charge of a beta particle? 0 -1 +1 +2 +4 When a radioisotope emits a beta particle, the mass will decrease by 1 increase by 1 decrease by 2 remain the same When a radioisotope emits a beta particle, the charge will decrease by 1 increase by 1 decrease by 2 remain the same Examine the following Beta Decay Reactions and answer the questions below. When beta emission occurs the number of protons will increase by 1. The mass number will remain the same. The atomic number will increase by 1. The number of neutrons will decrease by 1. Writing Beta Decay Reactions Watch the following video on how to write beta decay reactions before trying some on your own below. Writing Beta Decay Reactions Write the beta decay reactions by showing the products of the beta decay in the space below. Positron Decay Circle the common product of positron decay in the diagram below. Positron Decay Watch the following video on Positron Decay before answering the questions that follow. Which of the following notations represent positron particles? The mass of a positron particle is 0 +1 -1 4 The charge of a positron particle is +2 0 -1 +1 When a radioisotope emits a positron particle, the mass decreases by 1 increases by 1 decreases by 4 remains the same When a radioisotope emits a positron particle, the charge increases by 1 decreases by 1 remains the same decreases by 2 Examine the Positron Decay reactions below to answer the questions. When positron emission occurs, the number of protons will decrease by 1. The mass number will remain the same. The atomic number will decrease by 1. The number of neutrons will increase by 1. Writing Positron Decay Reactions Watch the following video on writing Positron Decay Reactions before trying some on your own. Writing Positron Decay Reactions. Write the Positron Decay reaction by writing the products of the positron decay on the diagram below.