1. Notes 4-5
Radioactive Elements

2. Isotopes
Atoms with same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons
Example:
Carbon-12 (normal carbon) versus Carbon-14
Some isotopes are unstable
Nuclei break down in a process of radioactive decay, releasing particles and energy

3. Radioactivity Spontaneously emitting radiation
Example: Uranium, Polonium, Radium
There are 3 types of radioactive decay

4. Types of Radioactive Decay
During alpha decay, a nucleus loses an alpha particle, which consists of two protons and two neutrons.
* Decreases atomic # by 2, and mass # by 4

5. Types of Radioactive Decay
During beta decay, a neutron inside an unstable nucleus changes into a negatively charged beta particle and a proton.
* Atomic # stays same, mass # increases by 2

6. Types of Radioactive Decay
Gamma radiation has no charge and does not cause a change in either the atomic mass or the atomic number.

7. Types of Radioactive Decay
The three types of nuclear radiation were named based on how easily each one could be blocked. Alpha, beta, and gamma are the first three letters of the Greek alphabet.

8. Using Radioactive Isotopes
Cancer treatment
Chemical reactions
Industrial processes
Electricity
Smoke detectors
Pest control
Rock/ fossil dating
Food treatment
Nuclear weapons

9. Risks of Radioactive Isotopes
Burn causing
Cancer causing
Genetic mutations
death

10. Review
Use your periodic table to predict the element that forms in each case of radioactive decay:
Isotope Type of Decay Element Formed
Uranium-238 Alpha
Nickel-63 Beta
Iodine Beta
Radium-226 Alpha
Thorium-234
Copper-63
Xenon-131
Radon-222