60 Unit 1 Alchemy Living By Chemistry Teaching and Classroom Resources Lesson16•Worksheet ©2012W.H.FreemanandCompany/BFW

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Old GoldFormation of Elements

Name

Date Period

PurposeTo practice interpreting nuclear equations and to predict the products of specific nuclear reactions.

Part 1: Nuclear EquationsUse a periodic table and the isotope chart from Lesson 14.

1. Fill in this table.

2. Based on the equations, how do you know which nuclear changes are fusion?

3. When an alpha particle is lost from an atom, where on the periodic table would you find the product of the nuclear reaction?

4. Explain how you figured out how many neutrons an isotope has.

5. Fill in the missing parts of these nuclear reactions:

a. ___________ b 1 4020Ca b. ___________ 4

2He 1 22688Ra

c. 3514Si 21

0e2 1 ___________ d. 23892U a 1 ___________

e. 11053I ___________ 1 106

51Sb f. 14056Ba ___________ 1 140

57La

Nuclear equation

change in atomic number

change in number of protons

change in number of neutrons

change in mass number

Type of nuclear change

a 22688Ra 42He 1 222

86Rn alpha decay

b 21484Po 42He 1 210

82Pb

c 178O 1 14

7N 3115P

d 4720Ca 21

0e2 1 4721Sc

e 14864Gd 42He 1 144

62Sm 24

f 84Be 1 42He 126C 12

g 146C 21

0e2 1 147N 11 beta decay

L E S S O N

16cLASSWOrk

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Living By Chemistry Teaching and Classroom Resources Unit 1 Alchemy 61 ©2012W.H.FreemanandCompany/BFW Lesson 16 •Worksheet

6. If a francium atom, element 87, undergoes beta decay, what type of atom will be produced?

Part 2: Making Gold By Radioactive Decay 7. Examine the possibility of making gold atoms by alpha or beta decay as shown in

these two illustrations. Place the appropriate starting isotope in each equation.

Alpha decay:

Beta decay:

8. Referring to question 7, find the two starting isotopes in the equations on the isotope chart. Are they found in nature?

9. Making Sense Why do you think the alchemists were not successful in making gold from other metals?

10. If You Finish Early Write the nuclear equation representing the alpha decay of element 85, astatine.

Au-197 nucleus(stable)

Gamma ray

Alpha particle

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Beta particle

Au-197 nucleus(stable)

Gamma ray

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_____________ 19779Au 1 a

_____________ 19779Au 1 b

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62 Unit 1 Alchemy Living By Chemistry Teaching and Classroom Resources Lesson16•Transparency ©2012W.H.FreemanandCompany/BFW

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Living By Chemistry Teaching and Classroom Resources Unit 1 Alchemy 63 ©2012W.H.FreemanandCompany/BFW Lesson 16 • Transparency

Nuclear Chain Reaction

n

n

n

nn

n

n

n

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nn

n

U-235

U-235

U-235

Ba-141

Ba-141

Ba-141

Ba-141Kr-92

Kr-92

Kr-92

Kr-92

n

U-235

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