- #1
girts
- 186
- 22
Hello,something I've always had some confusion with is the vast number of radioactive isotopes that form from fission and subsequent decay of the fissioned nuclei.
first of all does anyone have a link or something to a good high resolution picture of a chemical elements periodic table kind of table but which would show all additional possible isotopes for every element besides their stable version.
Also the way i understand this is that the atomic number is the number of protons each element has so they are sorted in the periodic table one after another with respect to how many protons each have, but the total weight of any given element is its proton number plus its neutron number since they have roughly the same weight.
So if we then have U238 and it absorbs a neutron and turns into Pu239 which is an isotope of Pu why instead it doesn't simply turn into say U239? Surely an element that does not exist.
Also if I gather correctly I see that U238 turning into Pu239 has also changed its proton number from 92 to 94, how does this happened? It absorbed a neutron so where do the two extra protons came from? I read that two beta decays happen inbetween the U238 turning fully into the pU239 and in the midst of that it is for a short time Np239.
Also I see that some heavier elements and all elements after Np have their atomic mass in brackets, why is that? Is it because their precise atomic mass is not known or because some of them are only artificial elements or they have no stable isotopes or what?
Also is Np239 which is an isotope that forms after U238absorbs a neutron somehow different from the resultant Pu239? since I see they have the same atomic mass, is it then their proton to neutron ratio that is different why eventually they are given different names to represent them as different elements or isotopes?thank you
first of all does anyone have a link or something to a good high resolution picture of a chemical elements periodic table kind of table but which would show all additional possible isotopes for every element besides their stable version.
Also the way i understand this is that the atomic number is the number of protons each element has so they are sorted in the periodic table one after another with respect to how many protons each have, but the total weight of any given element is its proton number plus its neutron number since they have roughly the same weight.
So if we then have U238 and it absorbs a neutron and turns into Pu239 which is an isotope of Pu why instead it doesn't simply turn into say U239? Surely an element that does not exist.
Also if I gather correctly I see that U238 turning into Pu239 has also changed its proton number from 92 to 94, how does this happened? It absorbed a neutron so where do the two extra protons came from? I read that two beta decays happen inbetween the U238 turning fully into the pU239 and in the midst of that it is for a short time Np239.
Also I see that some heavier elements and all elements after Np have their atomic mass in brackets, why is that? Is it because their precise atomic mass is not known or because some of them are only artificial elements or they have no stable isotopes or what?
Also is Np239 which is an isotope that forms after U238absorbs a neutron somehow different from the resultant Pu239? since I see they have the same atomic mass, is it then their proton to neutron ratio that is different why eventually they are given different names to represent them as different elements or isotopes?thank you