Nuclear Chemistry

Nuclear Chemistry

▪ Identify the missing species to balance nuclear

reactions;
▪ Determine the binding energy of a nuclear
species;
▪ Determine the amount of energy released in a
nuclear fission;
▪ Calculate the amount of species left after a
specified time of nuclear reaction; and
• Determine the half-life of a nuclear species.
 Nuclear Chemistry

-deals with changes in matter originating

in the nucleus of an atom

-study of radioactive substances

 Nuclear Chemistry
The Nucleus
• comprised of the two nucleons: protons and
neutrons.

• nucleons are tightly packed!

– density equivalent to packing around 500 million
cars into 1 thimble!!!
 Nuclear Chemistry
The Nucleus
 Nuclear Chemistry

Isotopes
• atoms of the same element with different
numbers of neutrons

• there are three naturally occurring

isotopes of uranium:
Uranium-234
Uranium-235
Uranium-238
 Nuclear Chemistry

Isotopes of Hydrogen

1 2 3
1
H 1
H 1
H
Hydrogen Deuterium Tritium
(protium)
 Nuclear Chemistry

Isotopes of Carbon

11 12 13 14
6
C 6
C 6
C 6
C
C-11 C-12 C-13 C-14
 Nuclear Chemistry

Counting protons and neutrons

Mass number
11
= protons + neutrons

atomic number 6
C For C-11:
Protons ( p or p+) = 6
Neutrons (n) = 11-6 = 5
= protons

Can be found in the

periodic table of elements
 Nuclear Chemistry

Nuclear binding energy (NBE)

-powerful short-range force that holds the p+
and n0 together in a very small volume

-the higher the NBE per nucleon, the more

stable is the nucleus

-arise from mass defect

4
2p
2He 2n
 Nuclear Chemistry

Mass defect
-when the nucleus forms, some of the mass
of the p+ and n0 can be converted into
energy
-shown by a very famous equation:

E=mc2
where: E = energy
m = mass
c = speed of light
 Nuclear Chemistry
E.g. Mass Defect in He-4 (nuclear binding energy)

1.00728 amu p
Converted to energy by:
E = mc2 = -2.73 x 1012 J/mol
1.00728 amu p

2p
1.00866 amu n - 0.03038 amu
2n

1.00866 amu
n

4.03188 amu 4.00150 amu

 Nuclear Chemistry

4
Mass Defect in 2 He (nuclear binding energy)
Pertains to neutrons
Illustrate: and protons
4
He
2
Total mass of free nucleons:
2 p = 2 (1.00728 amu) = 2.01456 amu
2 n = 2 (1.00866 amu) = 2.01732 amu
4.03188 amu
mass of nuclide = 4.00150 amu GIVEN
mass defect = 4.00150 amu – 4.03188 amu
= - 0.03038 amu
 Nuclear Chemistry
4
Mass Defect in 2 He (nuclear binding energy)

𝟏 𝐤𝐠
𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 = − 𝟎. 𝟎𝟑𝟎𝟑𝟖 𝐚𝐦𝐮
𝟔. 𝟎𝟐𝟐𝟏𝟒𝟏𝟖 𝐱𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐚𝐦𝐮
To convert amu to kg
𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 = −𝟓. 𝟎𝟒𝟒𝟕𝟐 𝐱𝟏𝟎−𝟐𝟗 𝐤𝐠
𝟐
𝐄= 𝐦𝐜 𝟐 = −𝟓. 𝟎𝟒𝟒𝟕𝟐 𝐱𝟏𝟎−𝟐𝟗 𝐤𝐠 𝟖
𝟑. 𝟎𝐱𝟏𝟎 𝐦/𝐬
c = speed of light; given
𝐄 = −𝟒. 𝟓𝟒𝟎𝟐𝟒𝟓 𝐱𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟐 𝐤𝐠 𝐦𝟐/𝐬 𝟐 𝒐𝒓 𝑱
𝟐𝟑
−𝟏𝟐
𝟔. 𝟎𝟐𝟐𝐱𝟏𝟎 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒔
𝐄 = −𝟒. 𝟓𝟒𝟎𝟐𝟒𝟓 𝐱𝟏𝟎 𝑱
𝟏 𝒎𝒐𝒍
Avogadro’s number; given
𝐄 = −𝟐. 𝟕𝟑 𝐱𝟏𝟎𝟏𝟐 𝑱/𝒎𝒐𝒍
 Nuclear Chemistry

𝐄 = −𝟐. 𝟕𝟑 𝐱𝟏𝟎𝟏𝟐 𝑱/𝒎𝒐𝒍

▪ The negative sign signifies that the process is

exothermic.

▪ This is the energy released to the surroundings

as a result of the formation of 1 mol of He-4
 Nuclear Chemistry
−𝟒. 𝟓𝟒𝟎𝟐𝟒𝟓 𝐱𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟐 𝑱
𝐄= = −𝟏. 𝟏𝟑𝟓𝐱𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟐 𝑱/𝒏𝒖𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒐𝒏
𝟒 𝒏𝒖𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒔

the higher the NBE per nucleon,

the more stable is the nucleus
 Nuclear Chemistry

Mass defect for a nuclear reaction

= mass of the products – mass of the reactants

The mass defect can be converted to energy

using the following equation:

E=mc2 where: E = energy

m = mass
c = speed of light
 Nuclear Chemistry

Mass defect for a nuclear reaction

= mass of the products – mass of the reactants

11 11 0
6 C ⎯⎯→
5 B + 1 e
Mass defect
= (mass of B-11) + (mass of electron) – (mass of C-11)

Convert this mass defect to energy using E =mc2

 Nuclear Chemistry

Antoine Henri Becquerel

- Nobel laureate
- first person to discover
evidence of radioactivity
(nuclear reactions)
 Nuclear Chemistry

Particles involved in nuclear reactions

Particle Symbol
Alpha
particle
4
2 He 4
2 
b
0 0
Electron −1 e −1

Positron
0
+1 e 0
+1 b
1 1 +
Proton 1 H 1 p
1
Neutron 0 n
 Nuclear Chemistry
Radioactivity
-involves the spontaneous emission of
particles or ionizing radiation by
unstable nuclei.

• Unstable nuclei
– radioactive.
– referred to as radionuclides.
– tends to undergo radioactive decay into a
more stable different nuclide.
 Nuclear Chemistry

Types of Radioactive Decay

1. Alpha Emission
-emission of an -particle (a helium nucleus)

238 234 4
92 U ⎯⎯→
90 Th+ He
2

# of p: 92 90
# of n: 146 144
 Nuclear Chemistry

Types of Radioactive Decay

2. Beta Decay
-emission of a b-particle (a high speed
electron)
131 131 0
53 I ⎯⎯→
54 Xe + −1 e
# of p: 53 54
# of n: 78 77

-can be thought of as: 1on→11p + o-1e

 Nuclear Chemistry

Types of Radioactive Decay

3. Positron emission
-emission of a positron (a particle that has
the same mass as an electron but positive
charge)
11 11 0
6 C ⎯⎯→
5 B + 1 e
# of p: 6 5
# of n: 5 6
-Can be thought of as: 11p→10n + o+1e
 Nuclear Chemistry

Types of Radioactive Decay

4. Electron capture
-addition of an electron to a proton in the
nucleus
-as a result, a proton is transformed into a
neutron.
1 0 1
1 p + −1 e ⎯⎯→
0 n + X-ray
 Nuclear Chemistry

Types of Radioactive Decay

5. Gamma emission
-emission of a -ray (high-energy radiation)
-almost always accompanies the loss of a
nuclear particle


99m * 99 + 0
43 Tc ⎯⎯→ Tc
43 0
 Nuclear Chemistry

In balancing nuclear reactions,

Total mass number in the reactant side = total mass number in the product side

Total atomic number in the reactant side = total atomic number in the product side

131 131 0
53 I ⎯⎯→
54 Xe + −1 e
Reactants Products
Total Mass number 131 131 + 0 = 131
Total Atomic number 53 54 + (-1) = 53
 Nuclear Chemistry
Stimulated Nuclear Reaction
1. Nuclear fission
-splitting of a nucleus into smaller parts
-releases large amount of energy
-induced by bombarding a nuclide w/ n, e or etc

neutron
 Nuclear Chemistry
Stimulated Nuclear Reaction
2. Nuclear fusion
-reactions in which two or more elements fuse
together to form one larger element
 Nuclear Chemistry
Kinetics of Radioactive Decay
All radioactive decay obeys first-order reaction,
which is described by the following equation:

𝑵𝒕 Where:
𝒍𝒏 = −𝒌𝒕 No = number of radioactive nuclei
𝑵𝒐 or radioactivity initially (at
time zero)
Nt = number of radioactive nuclei
or radioactivity at time t
k = first-order rate constant
(unit: 1/unit of time)
t = time (must be consistent with k)
 Nuclear Chemistry
Half-life, t1/2
▪ The time required to make the number of
radioactive nuclei half its initial number.
▪ At t1/2, Nt = (No/2)

𝒍𝒏 𝟐 Where:
𝒕𝟏/𝟐 = t1/2 = half-life
𝒌 k = first-order rate constant
(unit: 1/unit of time)
 Nuclear Chemistry
Problem:
The half-life of C-14 is 5715 years. What is the
rate constant for its decay?

𝒍𝒏 𝟐 𝒍𝒏 𝟐
𝒕𝟏/𝟐 = 𝒌=
𝒌 𝒕𝟏/𝟐
𝒍𝒏 𝟐
𝒌= = 𝟏. 𝟐𝟏𝟑 𝒙 𝟏𝟎−𝟒 /𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓
𝟓𝟕𝟏𝟓 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔
 Nuclear Chemistry
Problem:
The radioactive decay of Tl-206 to Pb-206 has a
half-life of 4.20 min. Starting with 5.00 x 1022
atoms of Tl-206, calculate the number of such
atoms left after 42.0 min.

Given:
t1/2= 4.20 min → determine k from this
No= 5.00 x 1022 atoms
𝑵𝒕
t = 42.0 min 𝒍𝒏 =− 𝒌 𝒕
𝑵𝒐
 Nuclear Chemistry
Problem:
The radioactive decay of Tl-206 to Pb-206 has a
half-life of 4.20 min. Starting with 5.00 x 1022
atoms of Tl-206, calculate the number of such
atoms left after 42.0 min.

Strategy:
1. Determine k from t1/2.
2. Determine Nt.
Problem:
The radioactive decay of Tl-206 to Pb-206 has a
half-life of 4.20 min. Starting with 5.00 x 1022
atoms of Tl-206, calculate the number of such
atoms left after 42.0 min.

Solution: 1. Determine k from t1/2.

𝒍𝒏 𝟐
𝒌= = 𝟎. 𝟏𝟔𝟓 /𝒎𝒊𝒏
𝟒. 𝟐𝟎 𝒎𝒊𝒏
Problem:
The radioactive decay of Tl-206 to Pb-206 has a
half-life of 4.20 min. Starting with 5.00 x 1022
atoms of Tl-206, calculate the number of such
atoms left after 42.0 min.

Solution: Determine Nt.

𝑵𝒕
𝒍𝒏 = −𝒌𝒕
𝑵𝒐
𝑵𝒕
𝒍𝒏 𝟐𝟐
= − 𝟎. 𝟏𝟔𝟓/𝒎𝒊𝒏 𝟒𝟐. 𝟎 𝒎𝒊𝒏
𝟓. 𝟎𝟎 𝒙𝟏𝟎 𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔
𝑵𝒕 = 𝟒. 𝟖𝟗 𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟏𝟗 𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔
 Nuclear Chemistry
Problem:
A rock is found to contain 5.51mg of 238U and 1.63
mg of 206Pb. Determine the age of the rock. Note
that 206Pb is a product of the decay of 238U and
the half-life of 238U is 4.51 x 109 yrs.
Given:
5.51 mg 238U →Nt
4.51 x 109 yrs → t1/2 → determine k from this

𝑵𝒕
We need No to find t. 𝒍𝒏 =−𝒌 𝒕
𝑵𝒐
 Nuclear Chemistry
Problem:
A rock is found to contain 5.51mg of 238U and 1.63
mg of 206Pb. Determine the age of the rock. Note
that 206Pb is a product of the decay of 238U and
the half-life of 238U is 4.51 x 109 yrs.

Strategy:
1. Determine the initial amount of 238U (No) using
the amount 206Pb and 238U.
2. Determine k from t1/2.
3. Determine t.
Problem:
A rock is found to contain 5.51mg of 238U and 1.63
mg of 206Pb. Determine the age of the rock. Note
that 206Pb is a product of the decay of 238U and
the half-life of 238U is 4.51 x 109 yrs.

Solution: 1. Determine the initial amount of 238U

(No) using the amount 206Pb and 238U.

Amount of 238U converted to 206Pb

𝟐𝟑𝟖 𝒎𝒈 𝟐𝟑𝟖𝑼
= 𝟏. 𝟔𝟑 𝒎𝒈 𝟐𝟎𝟔𝑷𝒃 = 𝟏. 𝟖𝟖 𝒎𝒈 𝟐𝟑𝟖𝑼
𝟐𝟎𝟔 𝒎𝒈 𝟐𝟎𝟔𝑷𝒃
Initial amount of 238U
= 𝟏. 𝟖𝟖 𝒎𝒈 𝟐𝟑𝟖𝑼 + 𝟓. 𝟓𝟏 𝒎𝒈 𝟐𝟑𝟖𝑼 = 𝟕. 𝟑𝟗 𝒎𝒈 𝟐𝟑𝟖𝑼
Problem:
A rock is found to contain 5.51mg of 238U and 1.63
mg of 206Pb. Determine the age of the rock. Note
that 206Pb is a product of the decay of 238U and
the half-life of 238U is 4.51 x 109 yrs.

Solution: 2. Determine k from t1/2.

𝒍𝒏 𝟐 −𝟏𝟎 /𝒚𝒓
𝒌= = 𝟏. 𝟓𝟒𝒙𝟏𝟎
𝟒. 𝟓𝟏 𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟗 𝒚𝒓𝒔
Problem:
A rock is found to contain 5.51mg of 238U and 1.63
mg of 206Pb. Determine the age of the rock. Note
that 206Pb is a product of the decay of 238U and
the half-life of 238U is 4.51 x 109 yrs.
Solution: 3. Determine t.
𝑵𝒕
𝒍𝒏 = −𝒌𝒕
𝑵𝒐
𝟓. 𝟓𝟏 𝒎𝒈
𝒍𝒏 = − 𝟏. 𝟓𝟒𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟎 /𝒚𝒓 𝒕
𝟕. 𝟑𝟗 𝒎𝒈
𝒕 = 𝟏. 𝟗𝟏 𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟗 𝒚𝒓𝒔

The rock is 1.9 billion years old.

 Nuclear Chemistry
Problem:
A freshly isolated sample of 90Y was found to have
an activity of 9.8 x 105 disintegrations per minute
at 1:00 PM on Dec 3, 2009. At 2:15 PM on Dec 17,
2009, its activity was redetermined and found to
be 2.6 x 104 disintegrations per minute. Calculate
the half-life of 90Y.

Answer: 64.41 hr