Alpha-particle-induced reactions on natural tin for production of ¹¹⁸Te

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...

Radical substitution reactions can be used to remove functional groups from molecules. The hydrogenolysis of alkyl halides is one such reaction, where the weak Sn–H bond in tributyltin hydride reacts with alkyl halides to form alkanes. Here, the reagent Bu3SnH yields tributyltin halide as a byproduct.
The bonds formed in this reaction are stronger than the bonds broken, making it energetically favorable. The reaction follows a radical chain mechanism similar to radical halogenation...

In a radical reaction, the concentration of starting materials governs the selectivity of a radical. For example, the reaction between an alkyl halide and an alkene, in the presence of tin hydride and AIBN, begins with the generation of a tin radical. The generated radical then abstracts halogen from the alkyl halide, producing an alkyl radical. This alkyl radical can either react with tin hydride, yielding an alkane, or add to an alkene, generating a nitrile-stabilized radical, eventually...

The most common types of radioactivity are α decay, β decay, γ decay, neutron emission, and electron capture.
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay: