Chapter 20 – Introduction

Figure 20.1 Nuclear chemistry provides the basis for many useful diagnostic and therapeutic methods in medicine, such as these positron emission tomography (PET) scans. The PET/computed tomography scan on the left shows muscle activity. The brain scans in the center show chemical differences in dopamine signaling in the brains of addicts and nonaddicts. The images on the right show an oncological application of PET scans to identify lymph node metastasis.

Chapter Outline

• Nuclear Structure and Stability
• Nuclear Equations
• Radioactive Decay
• Transmutation and Nuclear Energy
• Uses of Radioisotopes
• Biological Effects of Radiation

Introduction

The chemical reactions that we have considered in previous chapters involve changes in the electronic structure of the species involved, that is, the arrangement of the electrons around atoms, ions, or molecules. Nuclear structure, the numbers of protons and neutrons within the nuclei of the atoms involved, remains unchanged during chemical reactions.

This chapter will introduce the topic of nuclear chemistry, which began with the discovery of radioactivity in 1896 by French physicist Antoine Becquerel and has become increasingly important during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, providing the basis for various technologies related to energy, medicine, geology, and many other areas.