Today in class I started with Nuclear Chemistry. Nuclear chemistry has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its applications in medicinal chemistry as well as an alternate energy source.
Continuing with our alternate energy theme, Einstein's famous equation, E = mc2, allows us to calculate the energy we can gain from nuclear reactions.
There are some key differences between chemical and nuclear reactions. They are...
*In a chemical reaction the electrons react outside the nucleus, while in a nuclear reaction, the protons and neutrons react inside the nucleus.
*In a chemical reaction the same number of each kind of of atom appear in the products and reactants, while in a nuclear reaction, elements transmute into other elements.
*In a chemical isotopes react in the same manner, while in a nuclear reaction, the isotopes react differently.
*Chemical reactions depend on the chemical combination of the reactants, while nuclear reactions are independent of chemical combination.
*In a chemical reaction mass is conserved, while in a nuclear reaction, mass changes are detectable.
*In a chemical reaction the energy changes due to mass are relatively equal, while in a chemical reaction the energy changes due to mass are on the order of 108 Joules.
Be sure to review isotopes and how we write chemical symbols for isotopes and know what a radioisotope is. I also went over alpha, beta, and gamma decay. Be able to identify any missing reactants and/or products in each of these nuclear reactions and we will discuss more detailed nuclear reactions, and the relative stability of radioisotopes in class on Wed.
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