31 Alpha Radiation Facts: Radioactive Decay Simplified For Kids

Alpha particles are made up of two protons and two neutrons that are closely linked together.

They are released from the nucleus of certain radionuclides during alpha decay, a kind of radioactive decay. An alpha particle is the nucleus of a normal helium atom, or a doubly ionized helium atom.

When the atoms lose two protons during decay, the atoms will be converted to another element.

What is alpha radiation?

An alpha particle is a radioactive particle composed of two protons and two neutrons. It's a helium nucleus, or a helium atom devoid of electrons (negative electrical charge). Radioactive elements emit alpha particles when they undergo alpha decay, a kind of radioactive decay.

• The atomic nucleus emits an alpha particle during alpha decay. When this happens, the nucleus loses two protons and two neutrons.
• When Americium undergoes alpha decay, it transforms into neptunium.
• Neptunium is defined as having two fewer protons than Americium.
• Alpha decay is more common in heavy materials with more neutrons and protons, such as uranium, thorium, plutonium, and radium.
• Alpha particles are so small that they can't even pass through a few inches of air.
• Alpha radiation cannot harm people when the alpha source is outside the human body. Human skin does not allow alpha particles to pass through and cannot penetrate it.
• If the source is within the body, such as when individuals breathe dust or gas-containing chemicals that decay by producing alpha particles, alpha radiation can be extremely hazardous.
• This radiation may alter the DNA in cells. This radiation can be extremely dangerous if it gets into someone's body.
• It is not hazardous when it is outside the body since alpha radiation does not penetrate the outer layers of skin very effectively.
• Scientists use the Greek letter Alpha to create equations regarding nuclear processes. Ernest Rutherford pioneered this by discovering and naming three types of ionizing radiation.

Discovery Of Alpha Radiation

Ernest Rutherford and Paul Villard, physicists, split ionizing radiation into three categories in 1899. Rutherford named these charged particles alpha, beta particles, and gamma based on their penetration of objects and deflection by a magnetic field. Rutherford characterized alpha rays as having the lowest penetration of ordinary things among the cosmic rays.

• Rutherford's study also included measurements of the mass-to-charge ratio of alpha particles, which led him to the notion that alpha particles were doubly charged helium ions.
• Ernest Rutherford and Thomas Royds demonstrated in 1907 that alpha particles were, in fact, helium ions. To do this, they allowed alpha particles to pass through a very thin glass wall of an evacuated tube, catching a substantial number of the theorized helium ions within.
• They then generated an electric spark within the tube.
• A further examination of the resultant gas's spectra revealed that it was helium and that the alpha particles were, in fact, the expected helium ions.
• Alpha particles exist naturally but have higher energy to engage in a nuclear reaction. Their research led to much of the early knowledge of nuclear physics.
• Rutherford deduced from alpha particles released by radium bromide that J. J. Thomson's plum pudding model of the atom was fundamentally wrong.
• Rutherford's gold foil experiment, carried out by his students Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, demonstrated a narrow beam of alpha particles flowing through the very thin gold foil.
• A zinc sulfide screen, which creates a flash of visible light when an alpha particle collides, identified the particles.
• Rutherford projected that the positively charged alpha particles would be deflected relatively significantly, if at all, by the predicted scattered positive charge.

How is alpha radiation produced?

The alpha decay of a radioactive nucleus produces an alpha particle in a nuclear reactor because the nucleus is unstable. A portion of it is expelled, allowing the nucleus to stabilize.

• The expelled portion is the alpha particle, which is made up of two protons and two neutrons; this is the helium atom's nucleus.
• Helium is an inert and harmless gas. The particles are not deadly in and of themselves. It is only due to the tremendous speeds at which they are expelled from nuclei that they become dangerous. At these speeds, they have enough energy to disrupt matter bonds or ionize atoms (knock electrons), which is highly harmful to living cells, skin, or mass. But alpha particles are non-ionizing to electrons.
• Particles of alpha do not penetrate matter very far in the air (unlike beta radiation or gamma radiation). They are thwarted by a thin layer of paper! As a result, an external source of alpha particles or alpha radiation poses no risk to people like the X-ray.
• Our epidermis, or the outer layer of skin, is made up of dead cells and is thus unaffected by alpha particles. So, eating an alpha emitter and allowing it access to our interior organs would be a cause for concern.
• The fusion reaction generates helium and alpha particles as well as neutrons.
• In contrast to beta decay, the basic interactions that cause alpha decay are a balance of electromagnetic and nuclear forces.
• In classical physics, radiation alpha particles do not have enough energy (speed of light) to escape the strong force inside the nucleus' potential well. They are non-ionizing radiation.

Uses Of Alpha Radiation

Despite their poor penetrating strength, alpha particles and radioactive elements have a variety of practical applications.

• Americium-241 is a popular material used in ionizing smoke detectors. Smoke entering the detector lowers the number of alpha particles detected and sets off the alert.
• To eliminate static charges from equipment, static eliminators commonly employ alpha particles derived from polonium-210.
• Radioisotope thermoelectric generators use alpha particle decay from plutonium-238 to generate heat, which is then converted to electricity. These generators are commonly used in space probes.
• Some alpha emitters are being studied for potential use in unsealed source radiotherapy to treat cancer.
• Alpha emitters can be more dangerous than beta particles, gamma rays, or X-rays. Scientists are still doing studies on alpha emitters for medicinal use, like X-rays or gamma rays.