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Understanding Radioactivity and Nuclear Reactions

Henri Becquerel discovered natural radioactivity in uranium in 1896, earning him half of the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics. Ernest Rutherford then discovered three types of radiation emitted by radioactive materials: alpha, beta, and gamma rays, which differ in their penetrating abilities. Alpha rays involve helium nuclei, beta rays are electrons or positrons, and gamma rays are high energy photons. Jean Frederic Joliot and his wife Irene Joliot-Curie discovered artificial radioactivity in 1934 and received the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

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Radostina Ivanova
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72 views11 pages

Understanding Radioactivity and Nuclear Reactions

Henri Becquerel discovered natural radioactivity in uranium in 1896, earning him half of the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics. Ernest Rutherford then discovered three types of radiation emitted by radioactive materials: alpha, beta, and gamma rays, which differ in their penetrating abilities. Alpha rays involve helium nuclei, beta rays are electrons or positrons, and gamma rays are high energy photons. Jean Frederic Joliot and his wife Irene Joliot-Curie discovered artificial radioactivity in 1934 and received the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

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Radostina Ivanova
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Radioactivity.

Nuclear Reactions.

Prepared by Milla Vladimirova Budeva and Radostina Ivova Ivanova
Structure of the atom.
Nucleus: protons and neutrons.
Electrons


Henri Becquerel
Born in Paris on December 15, 1852
Father-Alexander Edmond Becquerel
Early work-the plane polarization of light, the phenomenon of
phosphorescence, the absorption of light by crystals, the subject of
terrestrial magnetism.
The Discovery of Natural Radiation
Becquerel discovered that when uranium salts were placed near to a
photographic plate covered with opaque paper, the plate became
fogged. The phenomenon was found to be common to all the uranium
salts studied and was concluded to be a property of the uranium
atom. There are also other elements which have the property of
uranium such as thorium. They are called radioactive elements.
For his discovery of spontaneous radioactivity Becquerel was
awarded half of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903.
Types of radiation
In 1899, Ernest Rutherford discovered that
uranium compounds produce three different
kinds of radiation. He separated the radiations
according to their penetrating abilities and
named them (alpha), (beta), and (gamma)
radiation, after the first three letters of the
Greek alphabet.
Alpha Rays
The nucleus that results
from the decay has a mass
and charge different from
those of the original
nucleus
The mass number, A, of an
a particle is four, so the
mass number, A, of the
decaying nucleus is
reduced by four.
The atomic number, Z, of
4He is two, and therefore
the atomic number of the
nucleus, the number of
protons, is reduced by two
Beta Rays
Beta particles are negatively
charged electrons emitted by
the nucleus
The mass number is
unchanged
The number of protons, and
thus the atomic number, is
increased by one.
Types of beta decay- and
+

Gamma Rays
A ray is a high
energy photon
Their wavelength is
much shorter
They can be emitted
when a nucleus
undergoes a
transition from one
such configuration to
another
Reactions
Can occur between the
nuclei
Can be exothermic or
endothermic
The two most important types:
fusion and fission
Jean Frdric Joliot
Born in Paris, March 19, 1900
In 1925 became an assistant to Marie Curie
Married her daughter Irne in 1926
Prepared a thesis on the electrochemistry of
radio-elements
Worked mainly with his wife
They discovered artificial radioactivity in 1934
Received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in
1935 along with his wife.
Irne Joliot-Curie
Born in Paris
She was taken by her mother to
Brittany when she turned 18
From 1928 Joliot-Curie and her
husband Frdric combined
their research interests on the
study of atomic nuclei
She was diagnosed with
leukemia. She had been
accidentally exposed to
polonium

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