Chapter 19 - The Nucleus: A Chemist's View

Current nuclear power reactors

________ employ controlled fission to produce energy.

G rays

________ are usually produced in a radioactive decay event.

Radioactive nuclides

________ are often called radionuclides.

Control rods

________:** Composed of substances that absorb neutrons and regulate the power level of the reactor.

Radio tracers

________ provide sensitive and noninvasive methods for learning about biological systems, for detection of disease, for monitoring the action and effectiveness of drugs, and for early detection of pregnancy.

Geiger counters

________ are often called survey meters in the industry.

Radioactive nuclei

________ can undergo decomposition in various ways.

Nuclear stability

________ can be considered from both a kinetic and a thermodynamic point of view.

Neutrons

________ are often employed as bombarding particles to effect nuclear transformations.

Fission

________**: The process of splitting a heavy nucleus into two lighter, more stable nuclei.

transuranium elements

The ________ (those beyond uranium in the periodic table) can be synthesized by particle bombardment of uranium or heavier elements.

probe of the Geiger counter

The ________ is filled with argon gas, which can be ionized by a rapidly moving particle.

particle production

A- ________ involves a change in A for the decaying nucleus; B- particle production has no effect on A.

Thermodynamic stability

________ refers to the potential energy of a particular nucleus as compared with the sum of the potential energies of its component protons and neutrons.

energy changes

The ________ associated with normal chemical reactions are small enough that the corresponding mass changes are not detectable.