C5040 Nuclear Chemistry

Faculty of Science
Autumn 2015
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (fasci plus compl plus > 4). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
prof. RNDr. Jiří Příhoda, CSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. RNDr. Jiří Příhoda, CSc.
Department of Chemistry – Chemistry Section – Faculty of Science
Supplier department: Department of Chemistry – Chemistry Section – Faculty of Science
Timetable
Mon 9:00–10:50 C12/311
Prerequisites
( C1020 General Chemistry || C1021 General Chemistry || C1601 General and Inorg. Chemistry ) && (PROGRAM(B-AF) || PROGRAM(B-FY) || KREDITY_MIN(100)) || PROGRAM(N-CH)
Principle knowledge of physics and chemistry at the level of basic university courses.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course covers basic principles of nuclear chemistry and some related fields of practical importance, and consists of the following sections: atomic nucleus, properties of isotopes (isotope effects), types of radioactive decay, kinetics of radioactive decay, ionizing radiation (properties, measurement, chemical and biological effects), nuclear reactions, radioactive tracers, nuclear fission and principles of nuclear power generation. The excursion in the Nuclear Power Plant Dukovany is a part of the lecture.
Syllabus
  • 1. Atomic Nucleus Cohesiveness of nucleons: strong interaction, virtual pions, nuclear forces, nuclear radius. Nuclear potential well and barrier. Energy levels in the potential well, shell model of the nucleus, excitation of the nucleus. Nuclear spin. Binding energy of the nucleus, binding energy per nucleon. Subatomic particles: hadrons, baryons, quark structure of hadrons, leptons, anti-particles, conservation of lepton and baryon numbers. 2. Properties of isotopes molecular velocities and vibrations, differences in physical and physico-chemical properties, chemical equilibria, kinetic effects. Enrichment of isotopes: gas centrifuge, gas diffusion, isotope exchange (two-temperature method for heavy water production, the NITROX process), electrolysis, fraction distillation. 3. Radioactive decay Mass condition, decay energy, conservation laws. Occurrence of radioactive nuclides. Beta decay: explanation based on shell model, mass parabola, transformation of nucleons and weak interaction. Negatron and positron decay, electron capture and follow-up processes: mass conditions, decay energy, spectra of emitted particles. a decay: occurrence, decay energy, explanation based on tunneling. Nuclear deexcitation: emission of g radiation (selection rule, instantaneous and delayed emission), internal conversion, emission of nucleons. Spontaneous fission: tunneling, drop model of the nucleus, activation energy, fission parameter. Branched decays. 4. Kinetics of radioactive decay Fundamental law of radioactive decay, decay constant, decay rate, activity, specific activity, change of activity with time, half-life (determination of short and long half-lives). Secular radioactive equilibrium, radioactive series, risk of radon, active deposit. Transient equilibrium. Generators of short-lived radionuclides. 5. Ionizing radiation Absorption of ionizing radiation. Mechanism of absorption of charged particles (linear energy transfer, range of particles in air and other materials, absorption curves). Absorption of gamma radiation: mechanism, absorption curve, half-thickness. Slowing-down and absorption of neutrons. Quantities and units related to the transfer of energy to matter. Shielding against ionizing radiation. Practical applications of absorption of ionizing radiation: application in chemical industry, analytical methods based on absorption of gamma radiation and neutrons, and on scattering of neutrons (determination of moisture content) and g radiation (density measurement). Detection and measurement of ionizing radiation. Gas ionization detectors: gas multiplication, detector types and their use; semiconductor detectors: types and use; scintillation detectors: photomultiplier, inorganic crystals with instantaneous and delayed (radiothermoluminiscence) deexctitation, liquid scintillators. Pulse counting, measurement of radiation dose. Activity and count rate. Background. Solid state nuclear track detectors, photographic detection. Chemical and biological effects of ionizing radiation. Excitation, ionization, fate of excited states, ions and electrons. Formation and reactions of free radicals. Radiolysis of water as an example of radiolysis of a pure liquid. Direct and indirect biological effects of radiation. Quality factor and dose equivalent. Important factors in effects of radiation on man. Non-stochastic and stochastic radiation effects. Health physics: radiation dose limits, effective half-life, radiotoxicity, annual limits of intake of radionuclides. Rules for safe work with radioactive materials, protective measures. 6. Nuclear reactions Compound nucleus as a mechanism of nuclear reactions, properties and deexcitation of the compound nucleus. Energetics of nuclear reactions. Cross section, dependence of nuclear reaction yield on projectile energy, resonance. Kinetics of nuclear reactions, activity as a function of irradiation time. Production of radionuclides: target material, sources of neutrons, charged projectiles (cyclotron, linear accelerator) and photons (betatron). Important reactions of charged projectiles and neutrons. Production of radionuclides via combination of the (n, gamma) reaction and negatron decay. Reactions of photons. Activation analysis: qualitative and quantitative analysis, destructive and non-destructive analysis, activation analysis with neutrons, charged projectiles and photons. The use of prompt particles, the PIXE method, radionuclide x-ray fluorescence analysis. 7. The method of radioactive tracers Principle of the method. Isotopically modified and labelled compounds, manufacture of important simple labelled compounds, synthetic and biosynthetic methods, Wilzbach tritiation, methods based on isotope exchange. Application of tracers: self diffusion, isotope exchange, metabolic turnover, reaction mechanisms (rearrangements, biosynthesis, metabolism), isotope dilution, solubility, surface area, distribution equilibria, radioactive analytical reagents. Basic assumptions of the tracer method, radionuclide and radiochemical purity of labelled compounds. Tracer method for oxygen and nitrogen - working with stable isotopic tracers. 8. Nuclear fission reaction, fundamentals of nuclear technology and power generation Fission reaction: releasing energy and neutrons, fission products. Chain fission reaction, the neutron cycle, multiplication factors k and k(inf), possible combinations of nuclear fuel and moderator, slow and fast reactors, breeders. Important types of energy producing reactors, the VVER-440 reactor. Nuclear power station, operation safety, reactor control. Impact of nuclear energy on the environment (radioactive releases, risk for the population, important reactor accidents). Production of uranium and of nuclear fuel. Reprocessing of nuclear fuel, production of plutonium (the PUREX process) and higher (Am - Cf) transuranium elements. Radioactive waste management. Excursion in the Nuclear Power Plant Dukovany.
Literature
  • Majer, Vladimír. Základy jaderné chemie, Praha, 1981.
  • HÁLA, Jiří. Radioaktivita, ionizující záření, jaderná energie (Radioactivity, Ionizing Radiation, Nuclear Energy). První vydání. Nakladatelství Konvoj, spol. s.r.o.: Brno, 1998, 311 pp. ISBN 80-85615-56-8. info
Teaching methods
lecture
Assessment methods
Lecrure, oral examination.
Language of instruction
Czech
Follow-Up Courses
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2007 - for the purpose of the accreditation, Autumn 1999, Autumn 2010 - only for the accreditation, Autumn 2000, Autumn 2001, Autumn 2002, Spring 2003, Autumn 2003, Spring 2004, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2011 - acreditation, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2016, autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2015, recent)
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