How Do Alpha Particles Compare to Other Fully Ionized Atoms?

[Gonzolo]

1. Can any other atom besides helium be completely stripped of all its electrons? Are these ever encontered? Can they (C +12, or Fe +26, or U +92 etc.) be isolated and produced as a stream? How do these compare (stability) to alpha particles?

2. As for alpha particles themselves, how long do they last before becoming helium? There must be some half-life related to this and that would depend on local environment, especially the pressure of the gas in which it resides. Surely, an alpha particle would last longer in a vacuum than it would in 1 atm.

 

[mathman]

A major factor in stripping electrons is the temperature. It is practical problem. For example at the center of the sun everything is completely ionized. Also gas density does play a role, as you indicated. In outer space electrons are sparse.

 

[KaneOris]

Hydrogen atoms are often stripped of their electron, its usually how we isolate a proton for use. Basis and Acids work on the principal of the Ionisation of A hydrogen atom.

I couldn't tell you about the others... But yes i have heard that everything is completely ionised at the centre of a star. So id agree with that

An alpha particle will only last going through a few mm of air before ionising... and into solid mattar about ~10^-2mm

 

[KaneOris]

sorry, that was a few cm in air

 

[Nereid]

1. Can any other atom besides helium be completely stripped of all its electrons? Are these ever encontered? Can they (C +12, or Fe +26, or U +92 etc.) be isolated and produced as a stream? How do these compare (stability) to alpha particles?

As mathman said, yes - it depends upon things like temperature and pressure. These are encountered 'all the time' (e.g. in cosmic rays), and yes, they can be 'isolated and produced as a stream' (e.g. in many particle accelerators around the world; in fact, that's how the few super-heavy elements have been produced!)

 

[Gonzolo]

~10^-2m

Thanks, but I would also be interested in where the number comes from and perhaps the function depth(pressure, type of gas, etc.) or a table if anything of the sort is available.

 

[Everett]

Here is a link to an old report on Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) ion sources. These are used to produce high charge state ions for accelerators like cyclotrons or linacs.
http://ecrgroup.lbl.gov/papers_pdf/rsi00625.pdf
Take a look at Table 1. You can see that they managed to fully ionize Argon, and produced a small current of Ca +19 (all but one electron gone.) I think that newer ECRISes can remove more than half the electrons for a Uranium ion.

 

[Gonzolo]

Thanks everybody.