Artificial Radioactivity

Artificial Radioactivity

In 1934, the French chemists Frédéric and her husband Irène Joliot-Curie produced radioactivity artificially. They produced radioactivity in elements that are not naturally radioactive.
When a non radioactive stable element is rendered unstable radioactive element by bombardment with α, β and γ etc. the phenomenon is called artificial radioactivity or induced radioactivity. The new produced radioactive elements or isotopes disintigrate exactly in the same manner as the natural radioacitive element. It generally has short half-life periods. They are very rarely found in nature because they decay off as soon as they are formed due to short half-life periods.
Examples- ²³⁵U is a non radioactive stable element but becomes unstable radioactive when bombarded with neutron due to the formation of ²³⁹U which is a β emitter.
₉₂U²³⁸ + ₀n¹ → ₉₂U²³⁹ --- -β---> ₉₃Np²³⁹ --- -β---> ₉₄Pu²³⁹.
Other examples are-
₁₃Al²⁷ + ₂He⁴ ———–> ₁₅P³⁰ + ₀n¹
₁₅P³⁰ ———–> ₁₄Si³⁰ + ₁e⁰
₅B¹⁰ + ₂He⁴ ———–> ₇N¹³ + ₀n¹

---

Radioactivity

Radioactivity is the process by which the nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting radiation, including alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays and conversion electrons Although radioactivity is observed as a natural occurring process, it can also be artificially induced typically via the bombarding atoms of a specific element by radiating particles, thus creating new atoms.

 Share