Radioactivity Flashcards
How has our theory of atomic structure changed over time?
John Dalton first proposed ideas of atoms in the 18th-19th century
JJ Thompson developed the plum pudding model at the end of the 19th century
Ernest Rutherford found that electrons had a small nucleus in 1909
Niels Bohr said that electrons orbited the nucleus in fixed orbits
What were JJ Thompson’s ideas about the atom?
He discovered that electrons could be removed from atoms, so they must be made up of smaller parts. He proposed the ‘plum pudding’ model - atoms were spheres of positive charge with tiny negative electrons stuck in them.
What were Rutherford’s ideas about the atom?
He conducted a gold foil experiment in 1909 alongside Marsden, firing alpha particles at a thin sheet of gold foil. Most particles went through the foil while others bounced back or were deflected, showing that atoms are mostly empty space and that there is a small positive nucleus.
What were Bohr’s ideas about the atom?
He said the atom is like the solar system, with electrons orbiting the nucleus like planets orbit the sun, at energy levels. Different energy levels hold different amounts of electrons, and the energy of electrons increases at every level. Electrons can move between them if the gain or lose energy.
What is the size of an atom in standard form?
About 1 x 10^-10 m
What is the size of a nucleus in standard form?
About 1 x 10^-15 m
What are the particles in an atom and their relative charges and masses?
Proton : +1, 1
Neutron: 0, 1
Electron: -1, 0.0005
What is an isotope?
An isotope is an element that has the same number of protons and different numbers of neutrons
How are electrons arranged in an atom?
They orbit at particular, fixed distances away from the nucleus in shells because they have discrete amounts of energy. The first shell contains 2 electrons, then 8, then 8. Shells are actually energy levels, with the lowest closest to the nucleus. Electrons can only exist on energy levels.
How can electrons move between energy levels?
If an electron absorbs EM radiation with the right amount of energy, it can move up to a higher energy level. This is called excitation. The electron will then quickly fall back down to its original energy level, emitting the energy it absorbed as EM radiation. This is called de-excitation. The energy absorbed from the EM spectrum creates an absorption spectrum, and the energy emitted creates an emission spectrum.
What is ionisation?
When an atom gains so much energy an electron may become so excited it leaves the atom completely. The atom becomes an ion. The energy required is called ionisation energy,
Why does ionising radiation exist?
When the nucleus of an atom is unstable, it tries to throw out some of the particles or energy that is making it unstable. This radiation is very high energy and so is ionising to other atoms and cells.
What are alpha particles?
Alpha radiation is when an alpha particle is emitted from the nucleus. It is two neutrons and two protons, like a helium nucleus. They only travel a few cm in air and are absorbed by a thin sheet of paper because of their size, but this also makes them strongly ionising.
What are beta particles?
They can be electrons or positrons. Beta minus particles are fast moving electrons released by the nucleus after a neutron turns into a proton. Beta plus particles are fast moving positrons, emitted after a proton turns into a neutron, the antiparticle of the electron - it has the same mass but a positive charge. They are both moderately ionising. Beta minus particles have a range in air of a few metres and are absorbed by a sheet of aluminium around 5mm thick. Beta plus particles have a smaller range as they are annihilated by electrons, releasing gamma rays.
What are gamma rays?
Gamma rays are waves of EM radiation released by the nucleus after nuclear rearrangement to carry away energy. They penetrate very far into materials and travel long distances through air, often kilometres. They are weakly ionising as they tend to pass through rather than collide with atoms. They can be absorbed by thick sheets of lead or metres of concrete.
How can we detect radiation?
Using a Geiger counter, which has a Geiger-Müller tube that clicks each time it detects radiation. This can be attached to a counter, which displays the number of clicks per second (the count rate)
