Difference between revisions of "Unstable Isotope"

Revision as of 10:29, 7 March 2019

Key Stage 4

Meaning

Unstable Isotopes are isotopes which radioactively decay to form new stable isotopes of the same element or a different element.

About Unstable Isotopes

An isotope may be unstable if:

It has too many neutrons
It has too few neutrons
The nucleus is too massive.
It has excess vibrational energy.

An unstable isotope may decay causing it to transmute into a new element or a more stable isotope of the same element by releasing a particle from the nucleus.

An unstable isotope may be too massive so it can lose an alpha particle to become a less massive element or it can split into two smaller, more stable elements in a process called nuclear fission.

An unstable isotope may be vibrating with excess energy so to lose this energy it will emit gamma radiation.

	This is a key to show the types of particles in the following decays of unstable nuclei.


This nucleus is unstable because it is too massive or has too few neutrons relative to protons so it decays via alpha emission reducing the atomic mass by 4 and the atomic number by 2.	This nucleus is unstable because it is too many neutrons so it decays via beta emission increasing the atomic number by 1.


This nucleus is unstable because it is has excess vibrational energy. After the decay it still has the same atomic mass and atomic number but is no longer vibrating.	This nucleus is unstable because it is far too massive and has too many neutrons so it decays by splitting into two smaller, more stable elements and releases some neutrons.

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 : An '''unstable [[isotope]]''' may be too [[massive]] so it can lose an [[Alpha Particle|alpha particle]] to become a less [[massive]] [[element]] or it can split into two smaller, more [[Stable Isotope|stable]] [[element]]s in a process called [[Nuclear Fission|nuclear fission]].
 : An '''unstable [[isotope]]''' may be [[vibrate|vibrating]] with excess [[energy]] so to lose this [[energy]] it will [[emit]] [[Gamma Radiation|gamma radiation]].
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+|[[File:NuclearKey.png|center|300px]]
+| style="height:20px; width:300px; text-align:center;" |This is a key to show the types of [[particle]]s in the following [[Radioactive Decay|decays]] of [[Unstable Isotope|unstable nuclei]].
+|}
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+|[[File:AlphaDecay3.png|center|300px]]
+|[[File:BetaDecay3.png|center|300px]]
+|-
+| style="height:20px; width:300px; text-align:center;" |This [[Atomic Nucleus|nucleus]] is [[Unstable Isotope|unstable]] because it is too [[massive]] or has too few [[neutron]]s relative to [[proton]]s so it [[Radioactive Decay|decays]] via [[Alpha Radiation|alpha emission]] reducing the [[Relative Atomic Mass|atomic mass]] by 4 and the [[Atomic Number|atomic number]] by 2.
+| style="height:20px; width:300px; text-align:center;" |This [[Atomic Nucleus|nucleus]] is [[Unstable Isotope|unstable]] because it is too many [[neutron]]s so it [[Radioactive Decay|decay]]s via [[Beta Radiation|beta emission]] increasing the [[Atomic Number|atomic number]] by 1.
+|}
+{| class="wikitable"
+|[[File:GammaDecay3.png|center|300px]]
+|[[File:Fission3.png|center|300px]]
+|-
+| style="height:20px; width:300px; text-align:center;" |This [[Atomic Nucleus|nucleus]] is [[Unstable Isotope|unstable]] because it is has excess [[Vibrational Energy|vibrational energy]]. After the [[Radioactive Decay|decay]] it still has the same [[Relative Atomic Mass|atomic mass]] and [[Atomic Number|atomic number]] but is no longer [[vibrating]].
+| style="height:20px; width:300px; text-align:center;" |This [[Atomic Nucleus|nucleus]] is [[Unstable Isotope|unstable]] because it is far too [[massive]] and has too many [[neutron]]s so it [[Radioactive Decay|decay]]s by splitting into two smaller, more [[Stable Isotope|stable]] [[element]]s and releases some [[neutron]]s.
+|}