NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY by E

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY by E Chapter 18 NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY by E. BRoDA Radiochemical Department, Institute 0/ Physical Chemistry, University 0/ Vienna, Allstria For the purpose of this Guide, "Nuclear Chemistry" will be taken as being concerned with the various ways in which the chemical properties of matter are affected by nuclear reactions and by events resulting from these reactions. NUCLEAR CONSTITUTION The now accepted ideas ab out the internal structure of the atom were developed just before the first world war by two physicists, then collaborating in Manchester, the New Zealander Ernest Rutherford and the Dane Niels Bohr. According to their theory, every atom can be pictured as a kind of minute planetary system. In the centre of the atom, there is a positively charged nucleus. A number of negatively charged electrons circle around this nucleus. The force holding the electrons within the atom is electrical attraction (Coulomb force) while in the solar system the planets are, of course, held by gravity. The positive charge of the nucleus is entirely due to the protons contained in it. Each proton contributes I elementary unit of electric charge (1.6 . 10-19 coulomb); the number of unit charges (" charge number ") of a given nucleus indicates immediately the number of protons within the nucleus. The charge of each electron is identical in magnitude with that of a proton, but is negative. Therefore, an electrically neutral atom contains as many electrons as protons; the number of electrons in the neutral atom is determined by the charge number of the nucleus. It was later (1932) found by Chadwick in Cambridge that most nuclei contain, in addition to the protons, electrically neutral particles, so­ called neutrons, which have practically no interaction with electrons. A comprehensive term for the two kinds of particles occurring in nuclei, i.e. protons and neutrons, is "nucleons". The number of nucleons within an atom is called its " mass number ". The capacity of each neutral atom for chemical interaction with other atoms-i.e. its chemical properties-is determined to a large extent by the number of its electrons and therefore ultimately by the charge number of the nucleus. Because of its profound importance for the behaviour of the atom, the charge number is also known as " atomic number". Thus, there are as many different kinds of atoms behaving differently chemically, as there are different charge numbers of nuclei, or atomic numbers. (This statement will require qualification later.) For ex am pIe, all atoms with charge number I 335 (1 proton in the nucleus) behave identically, namely as atoms of the " element" hydrogen. Similarly, the element helium is formed by the atoms with charge number 2, iron has charge number 26, and uranium 92. Uranium is the natural element with the highest atomic number. Although it is not important to know such figures by heart, it is instructive to compare the masses of the ultimate constituents of the atoms. The masses of the two kinds of nucleons are nearly the same, the neutron being only 0.13 per cent heavier than the proton. However, the proton is 1836 times heavier than the electron. The mass of the atom, then, is concentrated to an overwhelming extent within the nucleus. Further, it is important to point out that the particles take up only a small fraction of the total volume of the atom. The radius of a nucleus lies (depending on the number of nucleons, i.e. its mass number) between about 1.4· 10-13 (proton) and 6.5 . 10-13 cm. This is to be compared with the radius of the atom as a whole which, e.g. in the ca se of hydrogen, amounts to 0.53 . 1O-8cm. Thus in hydrogen the radius of the atom is about 38,000 times larger than the radius of the nucleus, and the position is qualitatively similar in other elements. Consequently, all atoms may be considered as largely empty, though in the parlance of modern physical theory such a statement would not be regarded as quite exact. On the other hand, it follows that the density of nuclear matter is incredibly high. From the radius (1.4' 10-13 cm) and the mass (1.67 . 10-24 g) of the proton it is readily calculated that the density is about 1.4· 1014 times higher than that of the standard substance, water. ELEMENTARY PARTICLES In addition to those already mentioned (proton, neutron, electron), more elementary particles-among them various kinds of " mesons "-have been discovered by the physicists since the nineteen thirties in experiments with cosmic rays and with man-made e1ectrical machinery. Each particle either carries positive or negative unit charge or it is neutral. The particles are short­ lived and transform spontaneously within a small fraction of a second with the ultimate production of stahle (protons, electrons, neutrinos and photons) or nearly stahle (neutrons) particles. At present, it is not known why the masses of the various elementary particles have the particular values shown in Table 1. TABLE 1. SO ME PROPERTIES OF IMPORTANT ELEMENTARY PARTICLES Relative Approximate Charge Partic1e Relative Mass* (Charge Half-Life (Mass 0/ Proton = 1) 0/ Proton = 1) Proton ...................... 1 1 stable Neutron ..................... 1.001 3 0 17 min. Electron (negative) ............ 0.000544 7 -1 stable Electron (positive) . 0.0005447 1 stable n-Meson (neutral) ............ 0.378 2 0 < 10-15 sec. n-Meson (positive) ............ 0.3659 1 2.6 X 10-8 sec. Neutrino . probably 0 0 stable Photon ...................... ! 0 0 stable * The masses given refer to the ffee particles at rest. Einstein's theory of relativity shows that actually the mass depends on the velocity of the partiele. 336 The photons, i.e. the quanta of electromagnetic radiation (visible light, UV light, X-rays etc.) are also considered as elementary particles. They invariably move with one and the same velocity e (e 3 X 1010 cm/sec.). The charge of the photon is zero. The mass of the photon is correlated with its energy by the famous general Einstein relationship : E= me2 The energy in turn is detennined by the frequency ofthe radiation in accordance with the law discovered by Max Planck in Berlin in 1900: E hv Because frequency and wave length I, are universally connected by: e = VA the Planck law can also be written as: E = he/I, and the Einstein law for photons as: In = h/el' Thus the mass of the photon-moving with its characteristic velocity-has no unique value but is determined by its frequency, or, what comes to the same, by its wave length. The short-lived elementary particles cannot be normal constituents of atoms in the same sense as nucleons or electrons, and in general teachers of chemistry will not wish to discuss their nature or physical role. NUCLEAR FORCES How is it that the nuclei keep together at all? What acts as " nuclear glue"? While the electrons are kept within the atoms by electrical (Coulomb) forces, obviously such forces cannot be invoked to explain the mutual attraction of the nucleons. Being neutral, the neutrons do not exert any electrical forces at all. The protons, which all carry charges of identical sign (positive), can only repel one another. Nevertheless, the attractive (binding) fOl·ces within the nuclei are very strong. Numerical values will be given below. It will be necessary for the teacher to emphasize strongly the existence and the strength of these specific nuclear forces and to underline their non­ electric nature. Though it will hardly be possible to explain their origin, the teacher should be clear about the principle involved. It is the view of theore­ tical physics that nuclear attraction (nuclear cohesion) is mediated by TC-mesons. All nucleol1s have a tendency to emit TC-mesons. A very short time after emission, the (positively charged or neutral) meson is reabsorbed by the parent nucleon, or else it is absorbed by a neighbouring nucleon. The transfer of a neutral meson does not change the nature of the nucleons involved, but on the loss of a positive meson a proton is converted into a neutron, and on the gain of such a meson a neutron is converted into a proton. Through this exchange between the nucleons, the mesons act as a kind of bridge or glue, and the calculations of the theoretical physicists show that a strong attractive force results from this type of interaction. The attraction is independent of the charge of the nucleon. It will be seen later that the Coulomb repulsion between the protons, which is superimposed on the specific nuclear force, may strongly affect the properties of nuclei, particularly nuclei of high charge. 337 NUCLEAR ENERGY UNITS The energy needed for the separation of an electron from an atom, i.e. for the removal of this electron, is often modest. This energy is called the " ionization energy" because in the process the atom is transformed into a positive ion. For instance, in the case of some atoms (rubidium or cesium) the relatively small energy of a photon of visible light suffices for ionization, and the phenomenon in this ca se is known as the photo-electric effect, and is used in photo-electric cells. In other cases, much more energy may be required for the removal of an electron. This is true in particular for electrons which circle in lower shells, i.e. in orbits ne ar the nucleus. Nevertheless, the binding energy of the electrons in atoms is always much less than the binding energy of nucleons in nuclei. That means that the attractive forces within the nuclei are strong indeed. To measure the energy needed for the removal of nucleons from nuclei (the binding energy of these nucleons), a suitable unit of energy is needed.
Recommended publications
  • The Moedal Experiment at the LHC. Searching Beyond the Standard
    126 EPJ Web of Conferences , 02024 (2016) DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/201612602024 ICNFP 2015 The MoEDAL experiment at the LHC Searching beyond the standard model James L. Pinfold (for the MoEDAL Collaboration)1,a 1 University of Alberta, Physics Department, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 0V1, Canada Abstract. MoEDAL is a pioneering experiment designed to search for highly ionizing avatars of new physics such as magnetic monopoles or massive (pseudo-)stable charged particles. Its groundbreaking physics program defines a number of scenarios that yield potentially revolutionary insights into such foundational questions as: are there extra dimensions or new symmetries; what is the mechanism for the generation of mass; does magnetic charge exist; what is the nature of dark matter; and, how did the big-bang develop. MoEDAL’s purpose is to meet such far-reaching challenges at the frontier of the field. The innovative MoEDAL detector employs unconventional methodologies tuned to the prospect of discovery physics. The largely passive MoEDAL detector, deployed at Point 8 on the LHC ring, has a dual nature. First, it acts like a giant camera, comprised of nuclear track detectors - analyzed offline by ultra fast scanning microscopes - sensitive only to new physics. Second, it is uniquely able to trap the particle messengers of physics beyond the Standard Model for further study. MoEDAL’s radiation environment is monitored by a state-of-the-art real-time TimePix pixel detector array. A new MoEDAL sub-detector to extend MoEDAL’s reach to millicharged, minimally ionizing, particles (MMIPs) is under study Finally we shall describe the next step for MoEDAL called Cosmic MoEDAL, where we define a very large high altitude array to take the search for highly ionizing avatars of new physics to higher masses that are available from the cosmos.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 12: the Atomic Nucleus
    CHAPTER 12 The Atomic Nucleus ◼ 12.1 Discovery of the Neutron ◼ 12.2 Nuclear Properties ◼ 12.3 The Deuteron ◼ 12.4 Nuclear Forces ◼ 12.5 Nuclear Stability ◼ 12.6 Radioactive Decay ◼ 12.7 Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Decay ◼ 12.8 Radioactive Nuclides Structure of matter Dark matter and dark energy are the yin and yang of the cosmos. Dark matter produces an attractive force (gravity), while dark energy produces a repulsive force (antigravity). ... Astronomers know dark matter exists because visible matter doesn't have enough gravitational muster to hold galaxies together. Hierarchy of forces ◼ Sta Standard Model tries to unify the forces into one force Ernest Rutherford “Father of the Nucleus” Story so far: Unification Faraday Glashow,Weinberg,Salam Georgi,Glashow Green,Schwarz Witten 1831 1967 1974 1984 1995 Electricity } } } Electromagnetic force } } } Magnetism} } Electro-weak force } } } Weak nuclear force} } Grand unified force } } } 5 Different } Strong nuclear force} } D=10 String } M-theory ? } Theories } Gravitational force} +branes in D=11 Page 6 © Imperial College London Discovery of the Neutron 3) Nuclear magnetic moment: The magnetic moment of an electron is over 1000 times larger than that of a proton. The measured nuclear magnetic moments are on the same order of magnitude as the proton’s, so an electron is not a part of the nucleus. ◼ In 1930 the German physicists Bothe and Becker used a radioactive polonium source that emitted α particles. When these α particles bombarded beryllium, the radiation penetrated several centimeters of lead. The neutrons collide elastically with the protons of the paraffin thereby producing the5.7 MeV protons Discovery of the Neutron ◼ Photons are called gamma rays when they originate from the nucleus.
    [Show full text]
  • Non-Collider Searches for Stable Massive Particles
    Non-collider searches for stable massive particles S. Burdina, M. Fairbairnb, P. Mermodc,, D. Milsteadd, J. Pinfolde, T. Sloanf, W. Taylorg aDepartment of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZE, UK bDepartment of Physics, King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK cParticle Physics department, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland dDepartment of Physics, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden ePhysics Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 0V1 fDepartment of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, UK gDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada M3J 1P3 Abstract The theoretical motivation for exotic stable massive particles (SMPs) and the results of SMP searches at non-collider facilities are reviewed. SMPs are defined such that they would be suffi- ciently long-lived so as to still exist in the cosmos either as Big Bang relics or secondary collision products, and sufficiently massive such that they are typically beyond the reach of any conceiv- able accelerator-based experiment. The discovery of SMPs would address a number of important questions in modern physics, such as the origin and composition of dark matter and the unifi- cation of the fundamental forces. This review outlines the scenarios predicting SMPs and the techniques used at non-collider experiments to look for SMPs in cosmic rays and bound in mat- ter. The limits so far obtained on the fluxes and matter densities of SMPs which possess various detection-relevant properties such as electric and magnetic charge are given. Contents 1 Introduction 4 2 Theory and cosmology of various kinds of SMPs 4 2.1 New particle states (elementary or composite) .
    [Show full text]
  • New Technologies for 211At Targeted Α-Therapy Research Using 211Rn and 209At
    New technologies for 211At targeted α-therapy research using 211Rn and 209At Jason Raymond Crawford BSc, University of British Columbia, 2007 MSc, University of Victoria, 2010 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in the Department of Physics and Astronomy c Jason Raymond Crawford, 2016 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This dissertation may not be reproduced in whole or in part by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii New technologies for 211At targeted α-therapy research using 211Rn and 209At by Jason Raymond Crawford BSc, University of British Columbia, 2007 MSc, University of Victoria, 2010 Supervisory Committee Dr. Thomas J Ruth, Co-Supervisor Department of Physics and Astronomy Dr. Andrew Jirasek, Co-Supervisor Department of Physics and Astronomy Dr. Wayne Beckham, Committee Member Department of Physics and Astronomy Dr. Dean Karlen, Committee Member Department of Physics and Astronomy Dr. Julian Lum, Outside Member Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology iii Abstract The most promising applications for targeted α-therapy with astatine-211 (211At) in- clude treatments of disseminated microscopic disease, the major medical problem for cancer treatment. The primary advantages of targeted α-therapy with 211At are that the α-particle radiation is densely ionizing, translating to high relative biological effectiveness (RBE), and short-range, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. In addition, theranostic imaging with 123I surrogates has shown promise for developing new therapies with 211At and translating them to the clinic. Currently, Canada does not have a way of producing 211At by conventional methods because it lacks α-particle accelerators with necessary beam energy and intensity.
    [Show full text]
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Recent Work
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Recent Work Title PART A. AN X-RAY SPECTROMETER FOR USE IN RADIOACTIVITY MEASUREMENTS, THE L X- RAYS OF NEPTUNIUM AND PLUTONIUM. PART B. SOME LIGHTER ISOTOPES OF ASTATINE Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9ss952mr Author Barton, G.W. Publication Date 1950-05-02 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California ·. l '; UCRL~67o · cy 2 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA TWO-WEEK LOAN COPY This is a Library Circulating Copy which may be borrowed for two weeks. For a personal retention copy, call Tech. Info. Division, Ext. 5545 BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA DISCLAIMER This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the United States Government. While this document is believed to contain correct information, neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor the Regents of the University of California, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by its trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof, or the Regents of the University of California. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof or the Regents of the University of California. • .\ UCRL-670 No Distribution II]ECLASSIF~ED UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Radiation Laboratory Contract No.
    [Show full text]
  • Lesson 6.3 You Experience Is Related to Your Location on the Globe
    Key Objectives 6.3.1 DESCRIBE trends among elements for 6.3 Periodic Trends atomic size. 6.3.2 EXPLAIN how ions form. 6.3.3 DESCRIBE trends for first ionization energy, ionic size, and electronegativity. CHEMISTRY & YOUY Additional Resources Q: How are trends in the weather similar to trends in the properties of elements? Although the weather changes from day to day. The weather Reading and Study Workbook, Lesson 6.3 you experience is related to your location on the globe. For example, LESSON 6.3 Available Online or on Digital Media: Florida has an average temperature that is higher than Minnesota’s. Similarly, a rain forest receives more rain than a desert. These differ- • Teaching Resources, Lesson 6.3 Review ences are attributable to trends in the weather. In this lesson, you will • Small-Scale Chemistry Laboratory Manual, Lab 9 learn how a property such as atomic size is related to the location of an element in the periodic table. Key Questions Trends in Atomic Size What are the trends among the What are the trends among the elements for atomic size? ? elements for atomic size One way to think about atomic size is to look at the units that form How do ions form? when atoms of the same element are joined to one another. These What are the trends among the units are called molecules. Figure 6.14 shows models of molecules Engage elements for first ionization energy, (molecular models) for seven nonmetals. Because the atoms in each ionic size, and electronegativity? molecule are identical, the distance between the nuclei of these atoms CHEMISTRY YOUYOY U Have students read the can be used to estimate the size of the atoms.
    [Show full text]
  • Experimental Aspects of Geoneutrino Detection: Status and Perspectives
    Experimental Aspects of Geoneutrino Detection: Status and Perspectives O. Smirnov,1 1JINR, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russian Federation October 22, 2019 Abstract Neutrino geophysics, the study of the Earth's interior by measuring the fluxes of geologically produced neutrino at its surface, is a new interdisciplinary field of science, rapidly developing as a synergy between geology, geophysics and particle physics. Geoneutrinos, antineutrinos from long- lived natural isotopes responsible for the radiogenic heat flux, provide valuable information for the chemical composition models of the Earth. The calculations of the expected geoneutrino signal are discussed, together with experimental aspects of geoneutrino detection, including the description of possible backgrounds and methods for their suppression. At present, only two detectors, Borexino and KamLAND, have reached sensitivity to the geoneutrino. The experiments accumulated a set of ∼190 geoneutrino events and continue the data acquisition. The detailed description of the experiments, their results on geoneutrino detection, and impact on geophysics are presented. The start of operation of other detectors sensitive to geoneutrinos is planned for the near future: the SNO+ detector is being filled with liquid scintillator, and the biggest ever 20 kt JUNO detector is under construction. A review of the physics potential of these experiments with respect to the geoneutrino studies, along with other proposals, is presented. New ideas and methods for geoneutrino detection are reviewed. Contents 1 Introduction 2 2 Geoneutrinos and the Earth's heat 4 2.1 Long-lived radiogenic elements . 4 2.2 Radiogenic heat and geoneutrino luminosity of the Earth . 9 arXiv:1910.09321v1 [physics.geo-ph] 21 Oct 2019 3 Geoneutrino flux calculation 11 3.1 Neutrino oscillations .
    [Show full text]
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Recent Work
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Recent Work Title PRODUCTION AND DECAY PROPERTIES OF THORIUM ISOTOPES OF MASS 221-224 FORMED IN HEAVY ION REACTIONS Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9bp2f39g Authors Valli, Kalevi Hyde, Earl K. Borggreen, Jorn. Publication Date 1969-10-01 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Submitted to Physical Review UCRL-18992 Preprint ,. 2 "'--' Ht:::.cE.l'VED l'VJRENCE RAD\AliOI'l lABORAlOR'l tEt3 Z6 1970 ..,. , L\BRARY AND N ""NTS sE.CTlO .1 0 ocut'J\r;;.. PRODUCTION AND DECAY PROPERTIES OF THORIUM ISOTOPES p• OF MASS 221-224 FORMED IN HEAVY ION REACTIONS Kalevi Valli, Earl K. Hyde, and Jprn Borggreen October 1969 AEC Contract No. W -7405-eng-48 TWO-WEEK LOAN COPY This is a library Circulating Copy which may be borrowed for two weeks. For a personal retention copy, call ··~~. Tech. Info. Division, Ext. 5545 ,.... -< () LAWRENCE RADIATION LABORATOR~ Z ~0~ UNI,1ERSI'"fY of C:AJ_.JIF'()RNIA BEllKELEry rt ·oce ' ' DISCLAIMER This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the United States Government. While this document is believed to contain coiTect information, neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor the Regents of the University of California, nor any of their employees, makes any waiTanty, express or implied, or assumes any legal responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by its trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof, or the Regents of the University of California.
    [Show full text]
  • Search for Supersymmetry Events with Two Same-Sign Leptons
    Search for supersymmetry events with two same-sign leptons Dissertation der Fakult¨atf¨urPhysik der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit¨atM¨unchen vorgelegt von Christian Kummer geboren in M¨unchen M¨unchen, im Januar 2010 1. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Dorothee Schaile 2. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang D¨unnweber Tag der m¨undlichen Pr¨ufung: 09.03.2010 meiner Familie Abstract Supersymmetry is a hypothetic symmetry between bosons and fermions, which is broken by an unknown mechanism. So far, there is no experimental evidence for the existence of supersymmetric particles. Some Supersymmetry scenarios are predicted to be within reach of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Col- lider. Final states with two isolated leptons (muons and electrons), that have same signs of charge, are suitable for the discovery of supersymmetric cascade decays. There are numerous supersymmetric processes that can yield final states with two same-sign or more leptons. Typically, these processes tend to have long cas- cade decay chains, producing high-energetic jets. Charged leptons are produced from decaying charginos and neutralinos in the cascades. If the R-parity is con- served and the lightest supersymmetric particle is a neutralino, supersymmetric processes lead to a large amount of missing energy in the detector. The most important Standard Model background for the same-sign dilepton channel is the semileptonic decay of top-antitop-pairs. One lepton originates from the leptonic decay of the W boson, the other lepton originates from one of the b quarks. Here, the neutrinos are responsible for the missing energy. The Standard Model background can be strongly reduced by applying cuts on the transverse momenta of jets, on the missing energy and on the lepton isolation.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 8. the Atomic Nucleus
    Chapter 8. The Atomic Nucleus Notes: • Most of the material in this chapter is taken from Thornton and Rex, Chapters 12 and 13. 8.1 Nuclear Properties Atomic nuclei are composed of protons and neutrons, which are referred to as nucleons. Although both types of particles are not fundamental or elementary, they can still be considered as basic constituents for the purpose of understanding the atomic nucleus. Protons and neutrons have many characteristics in common. For example, their masses are very similar with 1.0072765 u (938.272 MeV) for the proton and 1.0086649 u (939.566 MeV) for the neutron. The symbol ‘u’ stands for the atomic mass unit defined has one twelfth of the mass of the main isotope of carbon (i.e., 12 C ), which is known to contain six protons and six neutrons in its nucleus. We thus have that 1 u = 1.66054 ×10−27 kg (8.1) = 931.49 MeV/c2 . Protons and neutrons also both have the same intrinsic spin, but different magnetic moments (see below). Their main difference, however, pertains to their electrical charges: the proton, as we know, has a charge of +e , while the neutron has none, as its name implies. Atomic nuclei are designated using the symbol A Z XN , (8.2) with Z, N and A the number of protons (atomic element number), the number of neutrons, and the atomic mass number ( A = Z + N ), respectively, while X is the chemical element symbol. It is often the case that Z and N are omitted, when there is no chance of confusion.
    [Show full text]
  • ASTATINE Element Symbol: at Atomic Number: 85
    ASTATINE Element Symbol: At Atomic Number: 85 An initiative of IYC 2011 brought to you by the RACI LINDA ABBLITT www.raci.org.au ASTATINE Element symbol: At Atomic number: 85 Astatine is a highly radioactive chemical element. It is chemically similar to the other halogens above it in Group 17 of the periodic table. It is the heaviest known halogen. As chemists would expect, Astatine acts more like a metal than iodine, the element just above it in the table. Astatine is produced by radioactive decay in nature, but due to its short half-life it is found only in minute amounts. It is currently the rarest naturally occurring element, with less than 30 grams estimated to be contained in the entire Earth’s crust. This amounts to less than one teaspoon of the element. Isaac Asimov in a 1957 essay on large numbers, scientific notation and the size of the atom, wrote that in “all of North and South America to a depth of ten miles”, the number of astatine-215 atoms at any time is “only a trillion”. Guinness Book of Records lists it as the rarest element. It is found near thorium and uranium in the Earth’s crust. Astatine would be expected to be a nearly black solid, which, when heated, sublimes into a dark, purplish vapor (darker than iodine) Astatine (after Greek astatos meaning unstable) was first synthesized in 1940 by Dale R Corson, Kenneth Ross MacKenzie an Emilio Segrè at the University of California, Berkeley by bombarding bismuth with alpha particles in a cyclotron.
    [Show full text]
  • Mitochondrial Respiratory States and Rates
    MitoFit Preprint Arch (2019) doi:10.26124/mitofit:190001 Posted online 2019-02-12 Open Access Freely available online Mitochondrial respiratory states and rates Gnaiger E, Aasander Frostner E, Abdul Karim N, Abumrad NA, Acuna-Castroviejo D, Adiele RC, Ahn B, Ali SS, Alton L, Alves MG, Amati F, Amoedo ND, Andreadou I, Aragó M, Aragones J, Aral C, Arandarčikaitė O, Armand AS, Arnould T, Avram VF, Bailey DM, Bajpeyi S, Bajzikova M, Bakker BM, Barlow J, Bastos Sant'Anna Silva AC, Batterson P, Battino M, Bazil J, Beard DA, Bednarczyk P, Bello F, Ben-Shachar D, Bergdahl A, Berge RK, Bergmeister L, Bernardi P, Berridge MV, Bettinazzi S, Bishop D, Blier PU, Blindheim DF, Boardman NT, Boetker HE, Borchard S, Boros M, Børsheim E, Borutaite V, Botella J, Bouillaud F, Bouitbir J, Boushel RC, Bovard J, Breton S, Brown DA, Brown GC, Brown RA, Brozinick JT, Buettner GR, Burtscher J, Calabria E, Calbet JA, Calzia E, Cannon DT, Cano Sanchez M, Canto AC, Cardoso LHD, Carvalho E, Casado Pinna M, Cassar S, Cassina AM, Castelo MP, Castro L, Cavalcanti-de-Albuquerque JP, Cervinkova Z, Chabi B, Chakrabarti L, Chakrabarti S, Chaurasia B, Chen Q, Chicco AJ, Chinopoulos C, Chowdhury SK, Cizmarova B, Clementi E, Coen PM, Cohen BH, Coker RH, Collin A, Crisóstomo L, Dahdah N, Dalgaard LT, Dambrova M, Danhelovska T, Darveau CA, Das AM, Dash RK, Davidova E, Davis MS, De Goede P, De Palma C, Dembinska-Kiec A, Detraux D, Devaux Y, Di Marcello M, Dias TR, Distefano G, Doermann N, Doerrier C, Dong L, Donnelly C, Drahota Z, Duarte FV, Dubouchaud H, Duchen MR, Dumas JF,
    [Show full text]