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Nuclear Chemistry

Learn about nuclear power generation, synthetic elements, radioactive dating, medicine, weapons, and more. Discover how nuclear reactions impact various fields.

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Nuclear Chemistry

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  1. Nuclear Chemistry IV. Applications (Read chapter 21 section 3) I II III IV

  2. Cooling Tower A. Nuclear Power • Fission Reactors

  3. A. Nuclear Power • The purpose of a nuclear power plant is to produce or release heat and boil water. It is designed to produce electricity. It should be noted that while there are significant differences, there are many similarities between nuclear power plants and other electrical generating facilities. Uranium is used for fuel in nuclear power plants to make electricity.

  4. A. Nuclear Power • The energy needed to boil water into steam is produced in one of two ways: by burning coal, oil, or gas (fossil fuels) in a furnace or by splitting certain atoms of uranium in a nuclear energy plant. Nothing is burned or exploded in a nuclear energy plant. Rather, the uranium fuel generates heat through a process called fission.

  5. A. Nuclear Power • Fission Reactors

  6. A. Nuclear Power • Fusion Reactors (not yet sustainable)

  7. A. Nuclear Power • Fusion Reactors (not yet sustainable) National Spherical Torus Experiment Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor Princeton University

  8. B. Synthetic Elements • Transuranium Elements • elements with atomic #s above 92 • synthetically produced in nuclear reactors and accelerators • most decay very rapidly

  9. C. Radioactive Dating • half-life measurements of radioactive elements are used to determine the age of an object • decay rate indicates amount of radioactive material • EX: 14C - up to 40,000 years238U and 40K - over 300,000 years

  10. Radiation treatment using -rays from cobalt-60. D. Nuclear Medicine • Radioisotope Tracers • absorbed by specific organs and used to diagnose diseases • Radiation Treatment • larger doses are used to kill cancerous cells in targeted organs • internal or external radiation source

  11. E. Nuclear Weapons • Atomic Bomb • chemical explosion is used to form a critical mass of 235U or 239Pu • fission develops into an uncontrolled chain reaction • Hydrogen Bomb • chemical explosion  fission  fusion • fusion increases the fission rate • more powerful than the atomic bomb

  12. F. Others • Food Irradiation •  radiation is used to kill bacteria • Radioactive Tracers • explore chemical pathways • trace water flow • study plant growth, photosynthesis • Consumer Products • ionizing smoke detectors - 241Am

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