Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Nuclear chemistry is the study of the atomic nucleus and nuclear reactions.
A nuclide is an atom consisting of 3 subatomic particles: electrons, protons and neutrons.
A nucleon is the nucleus of an atom consisting of neutrons and protons.
Keeping the Nucleus Together
Two of the four known forces in the universe are at work in atomic nuclei, electrostatic force and the nuclear
strong force. (The other two forces are gravitational force and the nuclear weak force.) It is important to
understand how electrostatic and nuclear forces work, in order to understand nuclear stability.
Electrostatic Forces - Like charges repel each other and opposite charges attract each other. This attraction and
repulsion is caused by electrostatic forces. They cause electrons and protons to be attracted to each other; they
cause protons to repel each other; and they cause electrons to repel each other. Electrostatic forces have no
effect on interactions between neutrons, between neutrons and electrons, and between neutrons and protons.
Electrostatic forces work over relatively long distances – many times greater than the diameter of the atomic
nucleus.
Nuclear Forces - Nuclear forces (aka strong forces) work in opposition to electrostatic forces. They are created by
the exchange of mesons between neutrons and protons. This exchange produces a force that attracts neutrons to
neutrons, protons to protons, and neutrons to protons. Nuclear forces are stronger than electrostatic forces, but
they work over very short distances - less than the diameter of the atomic nucleus. (Mesons are a subatomic
particle that is smaller than neutrons and protons. We will not be studying them.)
Mass Defect - Individual protons, neutrons and electrons have uniform masses:
proton 1.007 726 amu neutron 1.008 665 amu electron 0.000 5486 amu
When these subatomic particles combine to form atoms some of their mass is lost. In other words, the sum of the
masses of the subatomic particles that make up an atom do not equal the mass of the atom. This mass that is lost
during the creation of an atom is called the mass defect.
1. Look at the sample calculation for oxygen-16 in the first column below and then calculate the mass defect for
the other two isotopes of oxygen.
where m is the mass defect in kg, c is the speed of light in m/s, and 1 amu = 1.6605 x 10-27 kg
( )
2. Calculate the binding energy for the other two isotopes of oxygen and complete the table on the previous
page.
b. lead-206
c. hydrogen-3
d. uranium-233
b. For the stable nuclides, which ones tend toward 1:1? Which ones tend toward 1.5:1? Why?