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Nuclear Reactions in Chemistry

A series of free High School Chemistry Video Lessons from Brightstorm.

Nuclear Reactions
Nuclear reactions differ from other chemical reactions in that they involve changing the structure of the nucleus. Types of nuclear reactions include alpha decay, beta decay and gamma decay. Often particles such as electrons, neutrons, or protons are emitted during nuclear reactions.

Radioactivity
Radioactivity is a spontaneous process in which atoms with unstable ratios of protons and neutrons in their nuclei decompose into forms with higher stability. Radioactivity is unique because atoms can change their identities by altering the number of protons in their nuclei.

Beta Decay
There are two types of beta decay: beta-plus decay and beta-minus decay. In beta plus decay the nucleus emits a positron (a positively charged electron) and a neutrino (a proton that changed into a neutron), resulting in the element before it on the periodic table. In beta-minus decay, the nucleus emits an electron and an antineutrino (a neutron that changed to a proton), resulting in the element after it on the periodic table.

Alpha Decay
Alpha decay is a type of radioactivity in which the nucleus of an atom loses an alpha particle. Alpha particles are composed of two protons and two neutrons, so they can also be called He2+ nuclei. The result of alpha decay is the transformation of an element into an element found two boxes before it on the periodic table.

Electron Capture
Electron capture is a type of decay in which the nucleus of an atom draws in an innershell electron. Electron capture occurs when neutrons and protons are below the band of stability, but there is not enough energy to emit a positron.

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