Discovery of Radioactivity

8.1  Discovery of Radioactivity

 The figures involved in the discovery of radioactivity:

Figures

Discovery

Willhelm Roentgen

Discovered X-rays in 1895

Henri Becquerel

Discovered radioactivity when he discovered uranium salts could darken photo plates in 1896

Pierre Curie

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, along with henri Becquerel and Marie Curie in radioactivity research

Marie Curie

  • Pioneering
    studies of radioactivity

  • Discovered the radioactive elements polonium and radium together with her husband, Pierre Curie

  • She was the first and only woman to win the Nobel prize twice

 

The radioactivity:

  • Radioactivity is a decay process that occurs spontaneously when an unstable nucleus emits radioactive radiation

  • Examples of radioactive materials are carbon-14 (C-14), radon-222 (Rn-222), and uranium-235 (U-235)

  • The radioactivity of a substance is measured in Becquerel units, Bq or in curie units, Ci

The radioactive radiation detection:

 

  • The three main types of radioactive radiation are alpha (α) radiation, beta radiation (β), and gamma radiation (γ)

 

The half-life of radioactive decay:

  • Radioactive decay involves the exchange of unstable nucleus to more stable mucus accompanied by radiation of radioactive radiation

  • The half-life of radioactive decay is the time taken for the number of an unstable nucleus in a sample of radioactive material to remain half of its original number

Radioactive substances Half-life
Iodin-123 13 hours
Polonium-210 138 days
Radium-228 5.75 years
Amerisium-241 432.6 years
Carbon-14 5730 years
Uranium-235 703.8 million years

Discovery of Radioactivity

8.1  Discovery of Radioactivity

 The figures involved in the discovery of radioactivity:

Figures

Discovery

Willhelm Roentgen

Discovered X-rays in 1895

Henri Becquerel

Discovered radioactivity when he discovered uranium salts could darken photo plates in 1896

Pierre Curie

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, along with henri Becquerel and Marie Curie in radioactivity research

Marie Curie

  • Pioneering
    studies of radioactivity

  • Discovered the radioactive elements polonium and radium together with her husband, Pierre Curie

  • She was the first and only woman to win the Nobel prize twice

 

The radioactivity:

  • Radioactivity is a decay process that occurs spontaneously when an unstable nucleus emits radioactive radiation

  • Examples of radioactive materials are carbon-14 (C-14), radon-222 (Rn-222), and uranium-235 (U-235)

  • The radioactivity of a substance is measured in Becquerel units, Bq or in curie units, Ci

The radioactive radiation detection:

 

  • The three main types of radioactive radiation are alpha (α) radiation, beta radiation (β), and gamma radiation (γ)

 

The half-life of radioactive decay:

  • Radioactive decay involves the exchange of unstable nucleus to more stable mucus accompanied by radiation of radioactive radiation

  • The half-life of radioactive decay is the time taken for the number of an unstable nucleus in a sample of radioactive material to remain half of its original number

Radioactive substances Half-life
Iodin-123 13 hours
Polonium-210 138 days
Radium-228 5.75 years
Amerisium-241 432.6 years
Carbon-14 5730 years
Uranium-235 703.8 million years