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Isotopes and Radioisotopes01:28

Isotopes and Radioisotopes

8.7K
In the early 1900s, English chemist Frederick Soddy realized that an element could have atoms with different masses that were chemically indistinguishable. These different types are called isotopes — atoms of the same element that differ in mass. Isotopes differ in mass because they have different numbers of neutrons but are chemically identical because they have the same number of protons. Soddy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1921 for this discovery.
An isotope containing...
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Nuclear Transmutation03:20

Nuclear Transmutation

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Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one nuclide into another. It can occur by the radioactive decay of a nucleus, or the reaction of a nucleus with another particle. The first manmade nucleus was produced in Ernest Rutherford’s laboratory in 1919 by a transmutation reaction, the bombardment of one type of nuclei with other nuclei or with neutrons. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen-14 atoms with high-speed α particles from a natural radioactive isotope of radium and observed...
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Other Nuclides: 31P, 19F, 15N NMR01:16

Other Nuclides: 31P, 19F, 15N NMR

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Many organic, inorganic, and biological molecules contain spin-half nuclei such as nitrogen-15, fluorine-19, and phosphorus-31. As a result, NMR studies of these nuclei have found extensive applications in chemical and biological research.
While fluorine-19 and phosphorous-31 have high natural abundances (100%) and positive gyromagnetic ratios, nitrogen-15 has a low natural abundance and a negative gyromagnetic ratio. However, nitrogen-15 is still preferred over nitrogen-14 (which has a...
438
Nuclear Stability03:18

Nuclear Stability

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Protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, are packed together tightly in a nucleus. With a radius of about 10−15 meters, a nucleus is quite small compared to the radius of the entire atom, which is about 10−10 meters. Nuclei are extremely dense compared to bulk matter, averaging 1.8 × 1014 grams per cubic centimeter. If the earth’s density were equal to the average nuclear density, the earth’s radius would be only about 200 meters.
To hold positively charged protons together...
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Qualitative Analysis03:46

Qualitative Analysis

22.5K
For solutions containing mixtures of different cations, the identity of each cation can be determined by qualitative analysis. This technique involves a series of selective precipitations with different chemical reagents, each reaction producing a characteristic precipitate for a specific group of cations. Metal ions within a group are further separated by varying the pH, heating the mixture to redissolve a precipitate, or adding other reagents to form complex ions.
For instance, group IV...
22.5K
Elements: Chemical Symbols and Isotopes02:31

Elements: Chemical Symbols and Isotopes

108.2K
A chemical symbol is an abbreviation used to indicate an element or an atom of an element. For example, the symbol for mercury is Hg. The same symbol is used to indicate one atom of mercury (microscopic domain) or to label a container of many atoms of the element mercury (macroscopic domain).
Some symbols are derived from the common English name of the element; others are abbreviations of the name in another language — Latin, Greek or German. For example, the symbol for aluminum (common...
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Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh
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Discovery of ^{39}Na.

D S Ahn1, J Amano2, H Baba1

  • 1RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.

Physical Review Letters
|December 3, 2022
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Summary

Scientists discovered the new isotope Sodium-39 (Na-39), the most neutron-rich sodium nucleus yet observed. This finding enhances our understanding of nuclear stability and the neutron dripline in exotic nuclei.

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Area of Science:

  • Nuclear Physics
  • Nuclear Astrophysics
  • Particle Physics

Background:

  • The study of exotic nuclei provides insights into fundamental nuclear forces and astrophysical processes.
  • Understanding the limits of nuclear stability, particularly the neutron dripline, is crucial for nuclear theory.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discover and confirm the existence of the neutron-rich isotope Sodium-39 (Na-39).
  • To investigate the neutron dripline for neon isotopes and its implications for nuclear structure.
  • To provide experimental data for refining nuclear models and theories.

Main Methods:

  • Projectile fragmentation of a high-intensity Calcium-48 (Ca-48) beam at 345 MeV/nucleon.
  • Utilizing the BigRIPS separator at RIKEN Nishina Center for in-flight separation and identification of reaction products.
  • Analysis of detected events to confirm the observation of Na-39 and search for other exotic isotopes.

Main Results:

  • Unambiguous observation of nine events attributed to the isotope Sodium-39 (Na-39).
  • Confirmation of the particle stability of Na-39, extending the known chart of nuclides.
  • Improved constraints on the neutron dripline, with the non-observation of Ne-35 and Ne-36 strengthening the identification of Ne-34 as a dripline nucleus.

Conclusions:

  • The discovery of Na-39 provides critical data for understanding nuclear binding and structure under extreme neutron-rich conditions.
  • The results challenge and inform nuclear models predicting the neutron dripline and the behavior of nuclei near magic numbers.
  • The stability of Na-39 at N=28 offers new insights into shell structure and the persistence of magic numbers in exotic nuclei.