NUCLEAR REACTION Asst Prof Dr Phanida Saikhwan

psaikhwan@engr.tu.ac.th
WHAT IS RADIATION?
Nuclear reaction = reaction in a nucleus

It gives radiation.

What is a radiation?

Do we see any situations where we use radiation?

Yes, Let’s watch this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsV7SJDDCY4

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 NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY
Spontaneous emission of particles or energy from an atomic nucleus as it
disintegrates.
Some minerals can emit ‘invisible radiation’, radioactivity.
These minerals are radioactive materials.

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DISCOVERY OF RADIOACTIVITY

By Henri Becquerel when he exposed a light-

tight photographic plate to a radioactive
mineral
THREE KINDS OF RADIOACTIVITY
Alpha (α)

Nucleus of a helium atom: 2 protons, 2 neutrons

ଶସHe
Beta (β)

A high-energy electron

ିଵ଴e
Gamma (γ)

Electromagnetic radiation

As is light, but of very short wavelength.
THREE KINDS OF RADIOACTIVITY(2)
THREE KINDS OF RADIOACTIVITY(3)
TYPES OF RADIATION
Watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oUagoF_viQ
 NUCLEAR EQUATIONS
Revision
Proton and neutron are called nucleons.
All atoms of a given element have the same number of protons (atomic
number).
There are atoms of the same atomic number but different numbers of
neutrons-isotopes.
So isotopes have different mass numbers (no. of protons + neutrons).
Hence, different isotopes of the same element are identified with their mas
numbers.
e.g. uranium-238 and uranium-235.

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REPRESENTATION OF ISOTOPES

Mass number
Chemical symbol
Atomic number

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DECAY OF PLUTONIUM

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 SHELL MODEL OF NUCLEUS
The protons and neutrons moving in energy levels in the nucleus.

Analogous to the orbital structure of valence electrons of the atom.
There are certain configurations of nuclear shells that have a
greater stability than the others.
Maximum nuclear stability when there are 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82,
or 126 protons or neutrons.

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 NUCLEAR FORCE VS. ELECTROMAGNETIC FORCE
Protons and neutrons are held together by a nuclear force

a strong fundamental force of attraction that is functional only at very
short distances (<10-15 m).
at >10-15 m,

the nuclear force is negligible

The force of repulsion between like charges is dominant-weaker
electromagnetic force.

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 WHAT IS A STABLE NUCLEUS?
Stable means it does not undergo radioactive decay.
Nuclei with an even number of both protons and neutrons are in
general more stable.
Neutrons provide additional attractive nuclear forces needed
in larger nuclei

More electrical repulsion

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BAND OF STABILITY

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 GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT NUCLEAR STABILITY
1. All isotopes with an atomic number > 83 have an unstable nucleus.
2. Isotopes that contain 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82 or 126 protons or neutrons in
their nucleus occur in more stable isotopes than those with other
numbers of protons and neutrons.
3. Isotopes that have nuclei with even numbers of both protons and
neutrons are generally more stable than nuclei with odd numbers of
both protons and neutrons.
4. Isotopes with an atomic number < 83
-are stable when the ratio of protons to neutrons in the nucleus is 1:1 in
isotopes up to 20 protons.
-The ratio increases in larger nuclei in a band of stability.
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 TYPES OF RADIOACTIVE DECAY
Through the process of radioactive decay, an unstable
nucleus becomes a more stable one with less energy.
The three more familiar types of radiation emitted

Alpha emission

Beta emission

Gamma emission

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ALPHA EMISSION

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BETA EMISSION

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GAMMA EMISSION

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TYPE OF DECAYS VS. THE
NEUTRON-TO-PROTON
RATIO

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RADIOACTIVE DECAY SUMMARY

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TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

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RADIOACTIVE
DECAY SERIES
RATE OF RADIOACTIVE DECAY
Is described in terms of its half-life.
Half-life = the time required for one-half of the unstable
nuclei to decay.

10 g
5g
2.5g
1.25g
…
Each isotopes has a characteristic decay constant and its
own characteristic half-life.

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HALF-LIVES OF
SOME
RADIOACTIVE
ISOTOPES
RADIOACTIVE
OF AN
ISOTOPE
Half-life is
independent of
the amount of the
isotope being
considered.
MEASUREMENT OF RADIATION
Optical density of developed film

Darkness is proportional to the exposure.
Indirectly measure radiation by measuring an effect of the
radiation

Ionization counter

Scintillation counter-counting of sparks

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MEASUREMENT OF RADIATION(2)
Watch these videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=pmGVepS5dOQ
RADIATION UNITS
A measure of the number of nuclear disintegrations
per unit of time.

US: Curie (Ci) = 3.70x1010 nuclear disintegrations per second.

Si: Bequerel (Bq) = 1 nuclear disintegration per second.

Amount of radiation received by human = radiation

dose (US: rem; SI: sievert (Sv))
Amount of radiation received by material =
radiation absorbed dose (rad) or SI uses gray (Gy).

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RADIATION UNITS AND CONVERSION FACTORS

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NUCLEAR ENERGY

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 BINDING ENERGY
The energy equivalent released when a nucleus is formed = the
binding energy

The energy required to break the nucleus into individual protons and neutrons.

Can be calculated from the mass defect of the nucleus.
Binding energy-to-nucleon-number ratio tells us the stability of a
nucleus

The greatest stability occurs near mass number of 56

Decreases for both more massive and less massive

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HOW TO ACHIEVE
STABILITY?

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NUCLEAR FISSION
The nuclear reaction of splitting
a massive nucleus into more
stable, less massive nuclei

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NUCLEAR FUSION

The nuclear reaction of less massive nuclei,

coming together to form more stable, and
more massive, nuclei with the release of
energy.
Occurs rapidly in a hydrogen bomb explosion
Occurs continually in the Sun

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NUCLEAR FUSION
ON THE SUN

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A CHAIN
REACTION

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NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
3% Uranium-235 and 97% Uranium-
238 pellets encased in a fuel rod.
Control rods made of cadmium,
absorb neutrons.
When these rods are lowered
completely into an assembly, enough
neutrons are absorbed to stop the
chain reaction.

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NUCLEAR ENERGY
Watch these videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LekacMuM12Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U6Nzcv9Vws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UwexvaCMWA
 WHY NOT FUSION?
We have plenty of deuterium and tritium (Both are water)
Problems with meeting 3 basic fusion reaction requirements

Temperature

Density

Time

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