- #1
orgthingy
- 9
- 0
i heard that there is an idea (i don't know if it's true) that we can make ANY ELEMENT radioactive! and i thought "wtf"!
Atomic BOMB but not RADIOACTIVE
- Context: High School
- Thread starter orgthingy
- Start date
-
- Tags
- Atomic Atomic bomb Bomb Radioactive
Click For Summary
Discussion Overview
The discussion centers around the concept of making any element radioactive through bombardment with particles, exploring the feasibility and implications of such processes. It touches on historical context and the stability of isotopes, as well as theoretical applications in nuclear energy.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Historical
Main Points Raised
- Some participants propose that it is possible to make any element radioactive by bombarding it with protons or neutrons, although the resulting isotopes may not be stable.
- Others argue that the energy required for such processes may be inefficient, suggesting that only a few elements have stable isotopes that could be practically useful.
- A historical note mentions Joliot-Curie’s Nobel Prize in 1935 for the discovery that substances can be made radioactive through bombardment with alpha particles.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express varying views on the practicality and usefulness of making elements radioactive, with no consensus on the overall utility of the process.
Contextual Notes
Limitations include the dependence on the stability of isotopes and the energy efficiency of the bombardment process, which remain unresolved in the discussion.
- #2
orgthingy
- 9
- 0
is it possible?!
- #3
CompuChip
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
- 4,305
- 49
Sure you can. Just shoot in a proton or a neutron with enough energy so that it sticks to the nucleus.
But probably the element will not be stable enough to survive for more than a few microseconds or even less.
But probably the element will not be stable enough to survive for more than a few microseconds or even less.
- #4
orgthingy
- 9
- 0
so its NO USE?!
- #5
CompuChip
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
- 4,305
- 49
No, in fact it would take a lot of wasted energy 
Only a few elements do have sufficiently stable isotopes to be useful. Otherwise, we could just let our nuclear reactors run on carbon instead of the much heavier uranium, and nuclear fusion would have been industrially usable by now.
Only a few elements do have sufficiently stable isotopes to be useful. Otherwise, we could just let our nuclear reactors run on carbon instead of the much heavier uranium, and nuclear fusion would have been industrially usable by now.
- #6
orgthingy
- 9
- 0
Cool!
- #7
LastGuyOnTheLeft
- 4
- 0
Historical note: I think it was Joliot-Curie who got the Nobel prize in 1935 for the discovery of this thing. That you can take a substance and make it radioactive by bombarding it with (in their case) alpha particles.
- #8
- #9
LastGuyOnTheLeft
- 4
- 0
orgthingy said:
Yep. That's them all right.
Similar threads
- · Replies 9 ·
- · Replies 20 ·
High School
MIRV vs very high-yield bomb effectiveness
- · Replies 12 ·
High School
Exact cause of radioactive decay?
- · Replies 35 ·
- · Replies 14 ·
- · Replies 4 ·
- · Replies 3 ·
Undergrad
Fissionable elements for Fission
- · Replies 2 ·
- · Replies 1 ·
- · Replies 6 ·