Nuclear chemistry

Lore & Background

Nuclear chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with radioactivity, nuclear processes, and transformations occurring within atomic nuclei, including nuclear transmutation and the study of nuclear properties. It encompasses the chemistry of radioactive elements such as the actinides, radium, and radon, as well as the chemistry associated with equipment designed to perform nuclear processes, like nuclear reactors. This includes the corrosion of surfaces and material behavior under normal and abnormal operating conditions, such as during accidents. A key area is the behavior of objects and materials placed into nuclear waste storage or disposal sites.

The field also examines the chemical effects of radiation absorption in living organisms, plants, and other materials. Radiation chemistry governs much of radiation biology, as radiation alters biochemicals within an organism, changing its internal chemistry and leading to biological outcomes. This understanding aids medical treatments like cancer radiotherapy.

Nuclear chemistry involves producing and using radioactive sources for radiotherapy, radioactive tracers in industry and science, and modifying materials such as polymers with radiation. It also includes non-radioactive applications, such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy used in synthetic organic chemistry and structural analysis. Historically, the discovery of radioactivity followed Wilhelm Röntgen’s X-ray work, with Henri Becquerel finding that uranium emitted rays that blackened photographic plates without an external energy source.

Marie and Pierre Curie isolated polonium and radium from uranium ore using radiometric methods, separating the ore into known elements and measuring each fraction’s radioactivity to identify and isolate fractions with higher specific activity. Ernest Rutherford showed that radioactive decay follows first-order kinetics, giving each substance a characteristic half-life, and coined the terms alpha, beta, and gamma rays. His students’ gold foil experiment disproved the plum pudding model, revealing that positive charge is confined to a small nucleus. Irène and Frédéric Joliot-Curie created artificial radioactivity by bombarding boron with alpha particles to produce nitrogen-13, which emits positrons.

Reader's Guide

Nuclear chemistry governs the behavior of radioactive elements like actinides, radium, and radon, and studies the chemistry of equipment such as nuclear reactors, including corrosion and material behavior under normal and accident conditions, as well as in nuclear waste storage. It examines the chemical effects of radiation absorption in living organisms, where radiation alters biochemicals at the molecular scale, changing internal chemistry and leading to biological outcomes—this underpins cancer radiotherapy and other medical treatments.

The field also covers the production and use of radioactive sources for radiotherapy, industrial and environmental tracers, and radiation modification of materials like polymers. Non-radioactive applications include nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, widely used in synthetic and physical chemistry. Ernest Rutherford demonstrated that radioactive decay follows first-order kinetics with a characteristic half-life, coined alpha, beta, and gamma rays, and oversaw the Geiger–Marsden experiment, which disproved the plum pudding model and established the nuclear model of the atom.