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14: Atomic Nuclei Can Change

CHEM 111 and CHEM 113 (General Chemistry I and II) · LibreTexts

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    From LibreTexts, under CC BY 4.0, as the source states it; its equations are written in TeX, which the PDF shows typeset. This page at LibreTexts.

    • 14.1: Overview and Objectives
      This page explores the substantial energy released during atomic transformations, challenging Rutherford's skepticism about nuclear energy. It emphasizes the vast power generated by atomic strong forces, which has implications for both weapons and energy production. The objectives include understanding nuclear stability, predicting nuclear decay outcomes, and calculating decay parameters like half-life.
    • 14.2: The Components of the Nucleus
      This page details the learning objective of understanding the factors affecting nuclear stability, highlighting the importance of recognizing various elements and conditions that influence atomic nuclei stability. The content is contributed anonymously and modified by Joshua B. Halpern.
    • 14.3: Nuclear Reactions
      Nuclear decay reactions occur spontaneously under all conditions and produce more stable daughter nuclei, whereas nuclear transmutation reactions are induced and form a product nucleus that is more massive than the starting material.
    • 14.4: Kinetics of Radioactive Decay
      Unstable nuclei undergo spontaneous radioactive decay. The most common types of radioactivity are α decay, β decay, γ emission, positron emission, and electron capture. Nuclear reactions also often involve γ rays, and some nuclei decay by electron capture. Each of these modes of decay leads to the formation of a new stable nuclei sometimes via multiple decays before ending in a stable isotope. All nuclear decay processes follow first-order kinetics and each radioisotope has its own half-life.

    This page titled 14: Atomic Nuclei Can Change was last modified on Thu, 13 Aug 2026 01:22:19 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kathy Davis, Terrie Salupo-Bryant, Mark Bryant and Jeff Osborne.