Chemistry chapter 6
what are the 2 factors that affect the strong nuclear force
1. more massive the object is the more attractive the force produced 2. as distance between objects increases, attractive force decreases at a faster rate
what are the two opposing forces at work in the nucleus of an atom
1. strong nuclear force 2. electromagnetic force/ electric force
describe the alpha decay its sign, and its penetration ability
2 protons and 2 neutrons leave the nucleus, and it does little damage (paper and clothing can stop it) but it does do damage if it enters the body sign: 4 2HE
fusion
2 small nuclei join or fuse to form 1 larger nucleus and releases energy
describe the strong nuclear force
similar to gravity
which is stronger, strong nuclear force or electric force
strong nuclear force
pros of nuclear fusion
the hydrogen needed is cheap and can be found in sea water, very little radioactive waste that needs to be disposed of, produces no air pollution, produces more energy than fission
if the electric force is greater then the strong nuclear force what happens
the nucleus won't be able to hold itself together and then it's radioactive
what does the strong nuclear force favor
attraction
cons of nuclear fission
a meltdown could occur and release radiation, safe long-term disposal of nuclear waste is hard to do, facility may be targeted for terrorist attack
explain how a beta particle is formed
a neutron changes into a proton and electron. the proton stays and electron leaves.
describe the beta decay its sign, and its penetration ability
a neutron in the nucleus changes into a proton and an electron, the proton stays in the nucleus and the electron leaves the atom, it is able to pass through clothing and damage skin sign: 0 -1e
what are the three types of radiation
alpha, beta, gamma
what's a beta particle
an electron
which elements are stable with equal numbers of protons and neutrons
elements 1-20
which elements need more neutrons then protons to hold it together
elements 21-83
every time a nucleus splits what does it release
energy in the form of heat and radiation
describe the gamma decay its sign, and its penetration ability
energy similar to an X-ray accompanies alpha and beta decay, it can only be stopped by lead or concrete sign: 0 0y
what has the most energy beta, gamma, or alpha
gamma
strong nuclear force
in the nucleus both proton and neutrons have mass and will thus attract one another
where does fusion occur naturally
in the sun and the stars
fission
large nucleus is split into 2 smaller nuclei and releases energy
how do you determine the age of an object
multiply the number of half-lives by the amount of half-lives
explain why an atom is radioactive
no number of neutrons will be able to hold the nucleus together, there are too many protons that want to repel the nucleus apart so their attraction diminishes and they become farther apart
cons of nuclear fission
not cost effective (more energy being put into it then being taken out), hydrogen is flammable, obtaining needed elements from sea water is hard to do and costly
what's radiation
particles/energy released as the nucleus undergoes decay
electric force
protons will repel due to the fact that they have like charges
what's a gamma ray
pure energy that accompanies alpha and beta radiation
what does the electric force favor
repulsion
what's radioactive decay
the process where radioactive materials give off radiation to become stable
why don't electrons fly away from the nucleus of an atom
there's an opposite charge between the negative electrons and the positive nucleus
how do elements above 83 become stable
they undergo radioactive decay (releasing radiation) until they form a stable isotope
half life definition
time it takes for half of a radioactive sample to decay and turn into something else that may or may not be radioactive
pros of nuclear fission
we can cost-effectively use this today, produces little pollution, relatively safe
what's the tokamak reactor
will turn the energy produced from the fusion into useful electrical energy
