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Lecture-08 Nuclear Models

The document discusses two major nuclear models: the liquid drop model and nuclear shell model. The liquid drop model treats the nucleus like a liquid drop and explains properties like binding energies and shapes. The nuclear shell model arranges protons and neutrons into energy levels like electrons in shells. It explains nuclear stability, spins, and magic numbers. Both models make simplifying assumptions but provide qualitative understanding of nuclear structure and behavior.

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322 views19 pages

Lecture-08 Nuclear Models

The document discusses two major nuclear models: the liquid drop model and nuclear shell model. The liquid drop model treats the nucleus like a liquid drop and explains properties like binding energies and shapes. The nuclear shell model arranges protons and neutrons into energy levels like electrons in shells. It explains nuclear stability, spins, and magic numbers. Both models make simplifying assumptions but provide qualitative understanding of nuclear structure and behavior.

Uploaded by

Abdul Jabbar Abdul Jabbar
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1

NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
CHEM3117
Sadia Bashir Advanced Physical Chemistry
Assistant Professor Lecture - 8 (Nuclear Chemistry)
DS&T

2
Key Concepts

• Nuclear Models
• Types of Nuclear Models
• Liquid Drop Model
• Nuclear Shell Model
Nuclear Models
Nucleus is a complicating
structure. To understand the
nature of nucleons, their
stability, binding energies,
nuclear spin etc various
theories/ models were
proposed by different
scientists.
Nuclear models throw light
on the qualitative behavior
of a nucleus under various
experimental conditions.
Types of Nuclear Models
The basic features of nuclear models are that the
nucleons maintain their identities in the nucleus and
do not fuse together and the nucleons are bound by
short range nuclear forces.

Basic Nuclear Models

1. The liquid-drop model

2. Shell model
Liquid drop model or point model
 Introduced by Niels Bohr and based on the aggregate of
nucleons has the same properties as of a liquid drop,
such as surface tension, cohesion, and deformation.
 According to this model, the atomic nucleus behaves like
the molecules in a drop of liquid. But in this nuclear scale,
the fluid is made of nucleons (protons and neutrons),
which are held together by the strong nuclear force.
 Liquid drop model explains global properties of nuclei
such as energetics, binding energies, sizes, shapes and
nucleon distributions.
Assumptions of Liquid drop model
 The nuclei of all elements are considered to be
behave like a liquid drop of incompressible liquid of
very high density.
 In an equilibrium state the nuclei of atoms remain
spherically symmetric under the action of strong
attractive nuclear forces just like the drop of a liquid
which is spherical due to surface tension.
 The density of a nucleus is independent of its size
just like the density of liquid which is also
independent of its size.
Assumptions of Liquid drop model

 The nucleons of the nucleus move about within a


spherical enclosure called the nuclear potential
barrier just like the movement of the molecules of a
liquid within a spherical drop of liquid.

 The binding energy per nucleon of a nucleus is


constant just like the latent heat of vaporization of a
liquid.
Assumptions of Liquid drop model
 The volume of the nucleus is directly proportional
to the total number of nucleons present in it. •The
volume of a drop is also proportional to the total
number of atoms or molecules contained in it.

 The binding energy of the nucleus increases with


increasing number of nucleons. The net chemical
binding energy within a liquid drop also varies with
the number of atoms or molecules within it.
Merits of Liquid Drop Model
 It explains the mechanism and energies of fission
process.
Limitations of Liquid drop model
 This model is unable to explain nuclear isomers
and abnormal high energies associated with
certain magic numbers of either protons or
neutrons.

 It does not explain the stability of lighter elements

 It is not able to explain excited states.


Nuclear Shell Model
 The Shell Model developed by Maria Goeppert-Mayer
and Hans Jensen.
 Nuclear shell model is similar to the atomic modle where
electrons arrange themselves into shells around the
nucleus.
 This model uses Pauli exclusion principle to describe the
structure of the nucleus in terms of energy levels.
 Shell model explains the quantal properties of nuclei
such as spins, quantum states, magnetic moments and
magic numbers.
Assumptions of Nuclear Shell Model

 The nucleons are arranged in different energy


levels within the nucleus.

 There are two sets of energy shells in the nucleus,


one for the occupation of neutrons and the other
for protons.

 Each energy level can be occupied by two


neutrons or two protons, provided their spins are
opposite.
Assumptions of Nuclear Shell Model

 When two neutrons or protons spin in opposite


directions, the magnetic field of each cancels that
of other. This leads to stability.

 The shell within the nucleus get closed with a


suitable number of nucleons

 The nucleons move in its orbit within the nucleus,


independently of all other nucleons.
Assumptions of Nuclear Shell Model
 Each nucleon is supposed to possess a spin angular
momentum of ħ/2 and orbital angular momentum.
 The orbit is determined by a potential energy function
V(r) which represent the average effect of all interaction
with other nucleons, and is same for each particle.
 Each nucleons is regarded as an independent particle
and the interaction between a nucleons is considered to
be a small perturbation.
 On the interaction between a nucleon and the potential
field, there is a direct analogy between the theoretical
treatment of a Nucleus and an electron in an atom.
Assumptions of Nuclear Shell Model
 Each nucleon in a nucleus interact only with its nearest
neighbors, like a molecule in a liquid. In shell model each
nucleon interact chiefly with a general force field
produced by all the other nucleons.
 The atoms with 2,10,18,36,54 and 86 electrons have all
their electron shell completely filled.
 In the same way, nuclei that have 2,8,20,28,50,82 and
126 neutrons and protons are more abundant than other
nuclei of similar mass numbers, suggesting their
structures are more stable.
Merits of Nuclear Shell Model
 This model has been very successful in explaining the
basic nuclear properties such as nuclear stability,
binding energies, angular momentum, magnetic
moment, nuclear spin etc.

 It explains the Relationship between the Number of


Protons and the Number of Neutrons and Nuclear
Stability.

 It explains the phenomenon of nuclear isomerism.


Merits of Nuclear Shell Model
The nuclear shell model explains the existence of "magic
numbers". 2,8,20,28,50,82 and 126

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