Chapter 25 – Nuclear Changes 25.1 - Radioactivity
Objectives Describe the structure of an atom and its nucleus. Explain what radioactivity is. Compare and contrast properties of radioactive and stable nuclei. Discuss the discovery of radioactivity.
Nucleus Composed of protons and neutrons which account for most of the atom’s mass
Strong force Causes protons and neutrons to be attracted to each other in the nucleus
Video clip The strong force is powerful only when neutrons and protons are close to each other The protons and neutrons in a large nucleus are held less tightly by the strong force than those in a small nucleus
Radioactivity The nuclear decay that occurs when the strong force is not large enough to hold the nucleus together and the nucleus gives off matter and energy
Isotopes Atoms of the same element with varying number of neutrons
A nucleus with too many or too few neutrons compared to protons is radioactive Atomic number = number of protons in an atom Mass number = number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus If an element has a neutron to proton ratio of 1.2 or higher than the element is radioactive
143 Symbol Atomic Number Number of protons Mass Number 1H 1 235U 92 Number of Neutrons 1H 1 235U 92 235 235-92 = 143
Element Radioactivity Uranium was discovered in 1896 by Henri Becquerel as a radioactive element Polonium and Radium were discovered as radioactivity by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898 Video Clip
In-Class Assignment/Homework 25.1 Reinforcement WKT Tomorrow – 25.1 Enrichment WKT 25.1 & 25.2 Directed Reading WKT