There are two types of nuclear reactions. The first is radioactive decay and second nuclear transmutation. Nuclear reactions are reactions that involve the nucleus of an atom. To understand these reactions, let’s use the atomic model below to review the structure of an atom.
From the model,
What’re nucleons?
Nucleons are protons and neutrons
What charges do the nucleons carry?
Protons carry a positive charge
Neutrons carry no charge
In an atom, where are the nucleons located?
The nucleons are located in a region in the center of the atom called the nucleus. This nucleus is surrounded by negatively charged electrons.
What’s the charge of the nucleus?
The nucleus carries a positive charge. This is so because the nucleus consists of protons and neutrons. But the protons carry a positive charge, while the neutrons have no charge.
In an atom, where’s its mass concentrated?
The mass of the atom is concentrated in the nucleus. This is so because the mass of the electron is far smaller than the combined mass of the proton and neutron.
What holds the nucleons together in the nucleus?
A force called a strong force holds them together in the nucleus
Can an atom become unstable?
Yes. If you consider an atom to consists of a system of moving charged particles, then you will realize that as an atom gets larger, any disturbance to these moving particles can cause an atom to become unstable. This instability can cause an atom to disintegrate so that its parts can rearrange to form a more stable atom. When this happens to an atom, we usually say that an atom has undergone radioactive decay.
What’s radioactive decay?
It is a process where the nucleus of an atom spontaneously breaks down by emitting radiation in order to produce a more stable atom. This radiation usually consists of both energy and particles. Energy is usually released in the form of gama radiation, while particles are released in the form of alpha and beta.
In addition to radioactive decay, we have another type of nuclear reaction called nuclear transmutation.
What’s nuclear transmutation?
Nuclear transmutation is a process where an atom is bombarded with protons, neutrons or other particles to force it to disintegrate.