Chemistry – Nuclear Chemistry Vocab

a positively charged particle that is the nucleus of the helium atom

a high-speed electron or positron emitted in the decay of a radioactive isotope

a series of chemical reactions in which the product of one is a reactant in the next

a steel or aluminum rod that can be moved up or down to control the rate of the nuclear reaction

the minimum mass of fissionable material that can sustain a chain reaction

sequence of steps by which a radioactive nucleus decays into a nonradioactive nucleus

the process in which an inner orbital electron is captured by the nucleus of its own atom

electromagnetic radiation emitted during radioactive decay and having an extremely short wavelength

time it takes for half of a sample to decay

the amount by which the mass of an atomic nucleus is less than the sum of the masses of its constituent particles

a nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy

a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy

a reaction that involves a change in the nucleus of an atom

a constituent (proton or neutron) of an atomic nucleus

an atom that is identified by the number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus

the antiparticle or the antimatter counterpart of the electron

the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation

measurement of the amount of radioactive material (usually carbon 14) that an object contains

(Roentgen Equivalent Man) the dosage of ionizing radiation that will cause the same amount of injury to human tissue as 1 roentgen of X-rays

radiation-absorbing material that is used to decrease radiation exposure from nuclear reactors, especially gamma rays

a synthetic element whose an atomic number is greater than that of uranium (atomic number 92)