Nuclear Chem help (1 Viewer)

[5ephyd]

I need help in explaining two questions in simple terms.
1. Why does Beta have a larger deflection to magnetic fields compared to alpha? Considering their charges
2. How do you identify if a radioisotope has been produced by a cyclotron or a particle accelerator? Given the isotope mass and type of radiation emitted

 

[YoloStudent]

1. From what I have learnt, it is the mass. You know that beta particles are electrons while alpha particles are helium nuclei. Consider a bowling ball and a tennis ball heading towards you and you wish to smack it away by hitting it perpendicular to do with a stick with the same strength. Which would be easier? Considering you will hit the objects with 100% accuracy.
The tennis ball will change its direction more easily rather than the bowling ball so we can say that electrons deflect more than alpha particles.

Or look at it from a physics perspective, using momentum : p=mv, (let us assume that the alpha particle and electron are travelling at the same speed for simplicity's sake), alpha particles will have more mass than electrons so it has more momentum, therefore it is harder to accelerate (change direction in this scenario) than the electron.

The charges are opposite so they deflect in opposite directions

Now the only thing here is that alpha has a higher magnitude of charge with 2(magnitude and the electron of 1 (magnitude). I haven't learnt this at school but I think it is because the difference between the magnitude of the charges is insignificant (1.6 x 10^-19) while the mass difference is relatively large (approximately 2 amu) therefore the mass difference overwhelms the charge difference and allows electrons to be deflected at a higher degree than proton

2. I would think that it would be impossible to distinguish between a particle accelerator and a cyclotron because they both require a charged particle. Perhaps another person can help you on this.

 

[MaccaFacta]

YoloStudent is correct. An alpha particle is about 7350 times the mass of a beta particle. That's like comparing the mass of a really small car with the mass of a cricket ball. Your second question has me a bit puzzled. Cyclotrons and particle accelerators can produce radioisotopes by slamming protons (or other nuclei) into larger nuclei which produces radioisotopes. The products of these collisions are often radioactive because they have a lower neutron to proton ratio than a stable isotope.

So, answering question 2 at face value, I'd say that you'd use a Geiger Counter.

 

[YoloStudent]

Geiger counter? That only detects radiation and I'm not entirely sure if cyclotrons and particle accelerators produce radioisotopes that emit different amounts and types of radiation. It might be right, I would like confirmation.

 

[yangevangelion]

How do you know this? I don't believe this is covered in the Senior Science's syllabus. Although your response is sound, I would like to know what school you came from and if they were teaching this.

Anyway I applaud you for learning content outside of the syllabus where you can expand your scientific understanding of the world. I recommend that you read up on 'The Blank Slate' and 'The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined' by Steven Pinker, if you wish to pursue your career in the psycho!ogy field and perhaps gain an insight into how scientific concepts are developed.

 

[YoloStudent]

In James Ruse, we learn this in senior science, a mix of chem, phys and bio.

I will take your recommendation of books and read up on them. They pique my interest and tickle my fancy in psycho!ogy

Wtf is Tradiation Chinese Medicine anyway?

 

[yangevangelion]

I heard rumours going around that at James Ruse, senior science was one the most difficult subject as it requires you to draw upon your knowledge from chemistry, physics and biology. I respect you for achieving a Band 6 in this subject.

In the Traditional Chinese Medicine course, we learn of the legendary methods of acquiring ingredients from the wilds back in the Chinese Dynasty. What interested me in this course was the history of Mountain people, and how they were so developed at their time with their invention of a mixture of medicines that allow them to survive the various conditions during the war with General Xin Ling. Ultimately, in the course we apply our knowledge of medicine and history and research on future medicine to benefit society.