Nuclear Chemist Interview Preparation Guide

These rays are similar to electromagnetic radiation and possess very short wavelength. The daughter nucleus formed generally exists in the excited state. While returning to the ground state they generally emit its excess energy as γ-ray photon. Here the atomic number and the mass number of the daughter nucleus remains the same as of the parent nucleus.

In the radioactive decay the mass of the parent nucleus is usually greater than that of the daughter nucleus and hence in radioactive decay loss of mass occurs. According to Einstein’s equation the lost mass appears as an energy which is shared between the emitted particle and the daughter nucleus.

☛ a. Zeroth law: If any two systems are in thermal equilibrium with the third system, then they are also in thermal equilibrium with each other.
☛ b. First law: First law of thermodynamic states that energy can neither be created nor be destroyed but it can only be converted from one form to another.
☛ c. Second law: This law states that “all processes in nature tend to occur with an increase in entropy and the direction of change always lead to the increase in entropy.”
☛ d. Third law: This law states that “The entropy of a perfect crystal of each element and a compound is zero at absolute zero.”

According to this principle, In the ground state of an atom the electrons are added one by one to the various orbitals in order of their increasing energy starting with the orbitals of lowest energy. The order of increasing energies of various orbitals can be calculated by the (n+1) rule. However if the (n+1) value of two different orbitals are same then the orbitals with lower value of n has lower energy.

It is denoted by m. This quantum number explains us that when a source producing spectral lines are placed in a magnetic field, then each spectral line splits up into number of lines. This is also known as Zeeman Effect.

In order to calculate the pH of a solution you have to use the formula pH= -log [H+] or pH = -log [H3O+]

The main useful isotope, and the one that has become controversial for reasons I'm not sure I totally understand, is plutonium.

Well, the natural radiation is mainly cosmic rays interacting with the earth's atmosphere, and we get a good bit of radiation on the earth's surface. The closer you are to the cosmos, the more radiation you get. So that if you're up in an airplane, you'll get considerably more than on the Earth's surface. Or people living at 5,000 feet, as I do, will get more than people living at sea level. But it's a part of the human environment just as air is, or anything else. It's most unremarkable.

Well, the worst that can happen in a modern nuclear plant is not even a fire. And it certainly isn't an explosion. It can't blow up like a weapon. It just can't. If I could make a comparison, your yule log in your fireplace versus gunpowder. I mean, you cannot blow up a nuclear plant like you can assemble uranium in a weapon to give you a tremendous explosion. It's just cannot happen. And those people that suggest that it can aren't doing the public much of a service.

The skin on your hand is probably sufficient to stop most of it.