Nuclear Chemist Interview Question:

Tell me the general characteristics of radioactive decay?

Submitted by: Muhammad

It is seen that a parent nucleus on emission loses its identity and gets converted into a daughter nucleus. This phenomenon is known as radioactive decay. The following characteristics are generally applied to natural radioactivity.

☛ a. Loss of mass: In the radioactive decay the mass of the parent nucleus is usually greater than that of the daughter nucleus and hence in radioactive decay loss of mass occurs. According to Einstein's equation the lost mass appears as an energy which is shared between the emitted particle and the daughter nucleus.

☛ b. Range and specific ionisation of the emitted particles: The radiations emitted by the radioactive nuclei are highly energetic and due to this the radiations can penetrate through the matter. The depth of these penetrations into the matter is proportional to the density of the matter. The distance covered by these radiations in the matter is called their range. The number of ion pairs per unit distance, the emitted particle covers in a medium is known as specific ionisation.

☛ c. Nature of path: α – particles are more massive than the β – particles. The a- particles generally travel in a straight line and on collision with gas molecules they are not scattered. The β- particles follow a zigzag path and on collision with gas molecules they are scattered.

☛ d. Physical and chemical changes: The energy associated with α and β particles are sufficient to break the bonds in the molecules of the medium which lead to the formation of free radicals. These free radicals initiate various chemical reactions. The passage of α and β particles also produce some physical changes.
Submitted by: Muhammad