nuclear chemistry Flashcards
(31 cards)
who discovered radioactivity?
Becquerel
from which part of the the atom do radioactive emissions originate?
nucleus
alpha particle Greek symbol?
a
alpha mass amu?
4
alpha particle charge?
2+
alpha particle nuclear symbol?
4
He
2
what effect does the emission of an alpha particle have in the mass number and the atomic number of the original isotope?
mass number goes down by four and proton number down by 2
why does the alpha particle have a charge of 2+ while the helium atom has no charge?
it has no electrons and two protons/neutrons
beta particle Greek symbol
B
beta mass amu
0
beta charge
1-
beta nuclear symbol
0
e
1-
how is beta particle formed?
neutron splits into proton and electron
what effect does beta particle have on mass number and proton number?
mass stays same and proton goes up one
positron Greek symbol
B+
positron mass amu
0
positron charge
1+
positron nuclear symbol
0
e
1+
how is a positron formed?
proton splits into a neutron and positron
how does a positron effect the mass and proton number?
mass stays same; proton goes down one
gamma Greek symbol
Y
gamma mass amu
0
gamma charge
0
what particle has a mass of 1 amu and has no charge?
neutron
