Nuclear Chemister: Radioactivitiy - Lab Report Example

Chemistry Lab Report 14 May Nuclear Chemistry: Radioactivity Objective The aim of this experiment was to understand the properties of radioactivity including the difference between alpha, beta and gamma radiations.Procedure The Gieger counter was turned on about five minutes before the experiment began. The background radiation was then counted for one minute and recorded. Thereafter, the interval was set to 1 minute for the rest of the experiment. The source of beta radiation was placed with the labeled side facing upwards.

The plastic plate with a small hole was then inserted into the first groove from the top of the sensor box at a distance of 2 centimeters (20 millimeters) from the sensor. The readings of the Gieger counter were then taken after one minute. The same procedure was repeated by placing the plastic plate on the second groove at a distance of 3 cm (30 mm), third groove (4 cm or 40 mm), fourth groove (4 cm or 40 mm), fifth groove (5 cm or 50 mm), and the sixth groove (6 cm or 60 mm) from the sensor.

ResultsBackground radiation: 13 cpmThe following tables show the amount of radiation recorded for the various distances and shielding materials.Table 1: Radiation versus distanceGroove numberDistance 1(mm)Distance 21/Distance 2CpmNet Cpm1101000.01595459412204000.00252193 21803306000.00161018 100544016000.000625638 62555025000.0004425 41266036000.00027778325 312Table 2: Radiation versus shielding polyethylene thicknessNo. of ShieldingShielding Shielding thicknesscpmNet cpm10.005”0.12756755420.010”0.254574 56130.030”0.000762471 45840.040”0.001016421 408Table 3: Radiation versus aluminum thickness of the shieldingNo.

of ShieldingShielding Shielding thicknesscpmNet cpm50.025”0.00063532931660.050”0.0012714513270.090”0.002286434080.32”0.000812820 7Table 4: Radiation versus lead thickness of the shieldingNo. of ShieldingShielding Shielding thicknesscpmNet cpm90.640.001625612-1100.1250.003175130110.2500.00635174Discussion and ConclusionIt was realized that the amount of radiation in terms of cpm decreased with an increase in the distance between the source of radiation and the plastic plate. It was also realized that the amount of radiation varied with the material used in shielding.

For example, polyethene shielding allowed the highest quantity of radioactive emissions compared to aluminum and lead. The least cpm was observed when lead used as a shielding material. In all the three types of shielding, the amount of radiation passing through the shielding material reduced with an increase in the thickness of the shielding. These observations implied that different materials have varying shielding ability. The beta radiations were able to travel through air and pass through polyethene and aluminum with ease, but very little beta radiations passed through lead.

This observation was in line with the known properties of beta radiations (Suckow 382). Therefore, it was concluded that exposure to nuclear radiation was inversely proportional to the distance travelled by nuclear radiations.Works CitedSuckow, Axel. “Analysis of Radionuclides.” Environmental Radionuclides: Tracers and Timers of Terrestrial Processes. Ed. Froehlich Klaus. Oxford, UK: Elsevier, 2009. 363-438. Print.