Radio active elements

In another article, we have learned that the elements that emit alpha, beta and gamma rays spontaneously are called radioactive elements. All elements are not radioactive elements. Again, all isotopes of an element are not radioactive. In this article, we are going to discuss which isotopes of radioactive elements have radioactivity property. Here, we will choose the examples of radioactive isotopes of most popular elements like hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, Nitrogen, Iodine, Potassium, uranium, etc. Contents in this article: • Radioactive elements • Radioactivity of Isotopes • Examples of Radioactive isotopes and their uses What are Radioactive elements Some of the elements in the periodic table can spontaneously emit radioactive radiations like alpha ray, gamma ray and beta ray. Such elements are the radioactive elements. Generally, heavier nucleus having atomic mass number greater than 200 (like Uranium, Thorium, Polonium, etc.) are the radioactive elements. But there are some radioactive isotopes of lighter elements too. Among the lighter elements hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, iodine, etc. have radioactive isotopes. Radioactivity of Isotopes Earlier I told that all the isotopes of lighter elements are not radioactive. But there may be some isotopes that shows radioactive property. For example, among the isotopes of carbon, only C-14 shows radioactivity, among the isotopes of hydrogen, only Tritium is radioactive. Again, multiple isotopes of an element can...

Although the radioactive elements uranium and thorium were discovered early in the history of the elements — 1789 and 1828, respectively, years before the advent of the periodic table — radioactivity itself was unknown until 1896 when Henri-Antoine Becquerel (1852-1908) in Paris found that uranium could expose photographic plates, even when protected by black opaque paper. The renowned Marie Curie (1867-1934) promptly made a study of all elements (that were known at that time) and determined that only two were radioactive — uranium and thorium. She and her husband Pierre Curie (1859-1906) took up a study of the uranium ore from St. Joachimsthal, Bohemia (now Jáchymov, Czech Republic) and discovered radium and polonium in 1898. The next year André Debierne (1874-1949) in the Curie research group discovered actinium in the same ore, and the following year in North America radon was discovered in 1900 by Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) and Frederick Soddy (1877-1956) in Montreal, Canada.* Independently protactinium was discovered in 1917 by Otto Hahn (1879-1968) and Lise Meitner (1878-1968) in Berlin and by Frederick Soddy and John Cranston (1891-1972) in Aberdeen, Scotland. All these elements seemed to fit in the periodic table, filling remaining gaps. By the 1920s only elements 43, 61, 85, and 87 remained unknown (although several spurious claims had been made). Marie Curie Pierre Curie Ernest Rutherford Frederick Soddy The major technique in tracing these elements was simply...

This ScienceStruck article has a list of radioactive elements that abound in nature, arranged in the order of increasing atomic number, along with their decay modes. Let us understand the phenomenon of radioactivity. Radioactivity arrived on the scene of world physics in the 19th century, just when people thought they knew everything in physics. With its discovery in 1896, radioactivity opened up a Pandora’s box of questions and revealed a new world, waiting to be explored in the microcosm of the atomic nucleus. What is Radioactivity? Radioactivity is a very interesting phenomenon in nature. Classical Electromagnetism cannot explain radioactivity. It’s a spontaneous and random phenomenon whereby nuclei of certain chemical elements like Uranium, radiate gamma rays (high frequency electromagnetic radiation), beta particles (electrons or positrons) and alpha particles (Helium Nuclei). By the emission of these particles and radiation, the unstable nucleus gets converted into a stabler nucleus. This is called radioactive decay. The Term ‘Radioactive’– A Misnomer A radioactive element is a fundamental element whose atomic nuclei demonstrates the phenomenon of radioactivity. The name ‘radioactive’ may suggest to you that radioactive elements radiate radio waves, but unfortunately that is not so! The name ‘radioactivity’ is a misnomer because these elements have nothing to do with radio waves! The reason is that energy and frequency of a gamma ray which is emitted by a radioactive...

Polonium Because it is a naturally-occurring element that releases a huge amount of energy, many sources cite grams of radium. It decays to release energy at the rate of 140W/g. The decay rate is too high that it can raise the temperature of a half gram sample of polonium to over 500°C and subject you to a contact gamma-ray dose rate of 0.012 Gy/h, which is more than enough radiation to kill you. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "What Is the Most Radioactive Element?" ThoughtCo, Aug. 25, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-most-radioactive-element-608920. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 25). What Is the Most Radioactive Element? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-most-radioactive-element-608920 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "What Is the Most Radioactive Element?" ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-most-radioactive-element-608920 (accessed June 15, 2023).

Radioactive elements What are Radioactive elements? Some elements of atomic nuclei are unstable because of the presence of excess nuclear charge inside it, so these nuclei undergo The stability of nuclei of an element can be calculated by n/p (neutron to proton ratio). Elements of atomic number up to Z= 20 are stable and contain an equal number of protons and neutrons. As the atomic number increases, the repulsion between protons increases and requires more protons and neutrons. Thus, the neutron to proton ratios of stable nuclei increases with increasing atomic number. Elements having atomic number up to Z = 20 , n/p =1.0 . And the elements having atomic number up to Z=83, n/p = 1.5 . If elements have the atomic number, Z > 83, n/p will be greater than 1.5 and it will be most unstable and hence radioactive. Table of contents • • • • Radioactive element decay process 1. Alpha decay: When an alpha particle emits its nucleus, the process is called The nucleus of helium is taken as the alpha particle which is very stable. It has a group of two protons and two neutrons. For example, the alpha decay of uranium-238 is shown below 238U 92 → 234Th 90 + 4He 2 • An Alpha particle is composed of 2 protons and 2 neutrons. • It has symbols 4He 2 • They have high ionisation energy power. • Alpha particle has low penetrating power 2. Beta Decay A beta particle is often referred to as an electron, but it can also be a positron. If the reaction involves electrons, the nucleus sheds out n...

But what, exactly, is radiation, and how much of it is in our bodies? Radiation encompasses many processes — all of which look different to us. Fundamentally, it's when an object, like the sun, emits energy through particles or waves. But when many of us refer to "radiation," we're referring to particularly high-energy waves, such as gamma-rays, and high-energy particles emitted by radioactive atoms like uranium atoms. High-energy waves and particles are dangerous to living organisms and can damage cells exposed to them. Many isotopes and radioactive elements occur naturally in the environment, where they get into plants and water. So, every time a person eats food or drinks water, they may be imbibing tiny amounts of radioactive isotopes. The biggest sources of radiation in our bodies are trace amounts of carbon 14 and potassium 40, said Mike Short, an associate professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT. Though these isotopes make up most of our body's radiation, we take in only about 0.39 milligrams of potassium 40 and 1.8 nanograms of carbon 14 a day. The amount of radioactivity caused by isotopes inside the human body is comparable to 1% of the radiation dose people would get on a flight from Boston to Tokyo, Short said. "Most of these radioisotopes make their way into our bodies through the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe," Short told Live Science. Some foods have higher concentrations of radioactive isotopes —like bananas, which conta...

This article includes a list of general it lacks sufficient corresponding Please help to ( August 2011) ( Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) consist of materials, usually Natural NORM in oil and gas exploration [ ] Oil and gas TENORM and/or NORM is created in the production process, when produced fluids from reservoirs carry sulfates up to the surface of the Earth's crust. Some states, such as NORM characteristics vary depending on the nature of the waste. NORM may be created in a crystalline form, which is brittle and thin, and can cause flaking to occur in tubulars. NORM formed in carbonate matrix can have a density of 3.5grams/cubic centimeters and must be noted when packing for transportation. NORM scales may be white or a brown solid, or thick sludge to solid, dry flaky substances. NORM may also be found in oil and gas production produced waters. Cutting and reaming oilfield pipe, removing solids from tanks and pits, and refurbishing gas processing equipment may expose employees to particles containing increased levels of alpha emitting radionuclides that could pose health risks if inhaled or ingested. NORM is found in many industries including • The coal industry (mining and combustion) • Metal mining and smelting • Mineral sands (rare earth minerals, titanium and zirconium). • Fertilizer (phosphate) industry • Building industry Hazards [ ] The hazards associated with NORM a...

Everything in our environment is made up of elements, or various types of atoms. Even though these atoms are far too small to see, everything in an object or organism is ultimately made up of these tiny particles. And, while your coffee table or textbook may appear to be quite stable, some elements, particularly those that make up the things in your home, deteriorate over time. These are radioactive elements, which means they release energy and break down into new elements over time. Let us study what a radioactive element is, its history, uses and more details from this article. History Henri-Antoine Becquerel (1852-1908), who discovered radioactivity in 1896, entered a new age of unstable elements. However, an issue occurred: plenty of new elements appeared, each with a different half-life, yet many of them had similar, if not identical, chemical properties. With his notion of isotopes, Frederick Soddy (1877-1956) explained the problem in 1913, proving that some elements may have differing half-lives but same chemical behaviour – hence, they exist in the "same place" (the Greek term "isos topos") in the Periodic Table. The source of isotopes became clear when James Chadwick (1891-1974) discovered the neutron in 1932 – isotopes have the same atomic number but varied atomic masses. Since then, a score of new elements (with many different isotopes) have been found – mostly by planned nuclear reactions – bringing the total number of elements in the modern Periodic Table to 1...