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We all are aware of radioactive materials but have you ever wondered what makes them radioactive? A radioactive element is nothing but an unstable atom trying to regain its stability by releasing alpha, beta and gamma rays from the nucleus. Understanding the properties of alpha, beta and gamma rays help us understand a lot about what goes inside a radioactive element when it tries to attain stability. These waves emitted from the reaction are termed radiations and have a wide application for their use, for example: the X-rays used in X-ray imaging have similar properties to that of gamma rays. Let us understand more about each ray in detail.
Decay of an atom
Decay of an atom occurs when an unstable atom tries to regain its stability with the emission of radiation from its nucleus. This process happens naturally, but sometimes it is induced for its wide applications in various fields such as generation of electricity, radiographic imaging, etc. The spontaneous decay of nuclei is a process an atom undergoes until it forms a nucleus with higher stability. During this process, three types of major radiations are radiated out in the environment which are:
- Alpha rays
- Beta rays
- Gamma rays
All of these three radiations exhibit different behaviours but have a significant power to penetrate and ionise.Let us discuss the properties of alpha, beta and gamma rays.
Properties of Alpha rays
Alpha rays are positively charged rays and have a very high ionising strength but are weak when it comes to penetrating a substance. Alpha rays are extremely energetic and active in nature and are capable of ionising a large number of atoms in a short span. Alpha-particles are active helium atoms with two neutrons and a single proton. Due to their low penetration power, these rays are unable to penetrate the skin, but their high ionising capability makes this a threat. Radioactive materials emitting alpha rays are usually handled with rubber gloves and aren’t exposed to open cuts for maximum safety.The kinetic energy of alpha waves is approximately around 5 MeV and they travel with a very high velocity with speeds that are equal to 5% of the speed of light.
Properties of Beta rays
Beta rays are extremely energetic beams of beta particles. Beta particles consist of excited electrons that are released from the core of a nucleus. When a beta particle emits a neutron in the nucleus it splits into a proton and an electron. They have an extremely negligible mass and are negatively charged in nature.
Beta rays are emitted when a radioactive material goes under beta decay and are extremely dangerous to handle as they can penetrate human skin. As beta rays have a greater penetration strength, their ionising power is low compared to that of alpha rays. As beta rays are negatively charged they are deflected in the direction of positive plates. Beta rays can be deflected by electric and magnetic fields.
Properties of Gamma rays
Gamma rays are waves from the high-frequency end of the electromagnetic spectrum that has no mass. Unlike alpha rays and beta rays, gamma rays aren’t made of any particles, gamma rays are just electronic radiations with extremely high energy.
Gamma radiation is produced when a radioactive material undergoes radioactive decay to release gamma radiation, which travels at the velocity of light. Gamma rays have no charge and have the least ionisation power, but when it comes to penetration they shear through human skin, aluminium, and even several centimetres of concrete.
Gamma rays cannot be deflected by electric and magnetic fields as well as electric plates are useless when it comes to deflecting these rays due to the absence of charge.
Properties of alpha, beta and gamma rays table
Name | α | β | γ |
Nature | 4He2 nuclei- Positively charged particles | Electrons – Negatively charged particle | Uncharged |
Charge | +2e | -e | 0 |
Mass | 6.6466 × 10–27 kg | 9.109 × 10–31 kg | 0 |
Natural sources | Uranium-238 & Plutonium- 238 | Nickel-63 & Carbon-14 | Iodine-131& Cesium-137 |
Conclusion
The three fundamental forces at work in the nucleus cause alpha, beta and gamma decay. In all three cases, radiation emission increases nucleus stability by adjusting the proton/neutron ratio. In the case of alpha radiation, the nucleus tries to find stability by emitting an ‘alpha particle’, which is identical to a helium nucleus (two protons and two neutrons). Through the emission of an electron, a neutron is converted into a proton in beta radiation, while gamma radiation is simply the nucleus’s loss of energy. Understanding the properties of alpha, beta and gamma rays help us comprehend wave function and half-life calculations of radioactive matter without any difficulties.
