Level of education
Bachelor's degree
ECTS
2 credits
Training structure
Faculty of Science
Description
This teaching unit covers the various basic elements needed to understand natural and artificial radioactivity phenomena. It aims to establish all the concepts related to decay phenomena, natural radioactive families and their associated environmental consequences, dating methods, methods of producing radionuclides and their use in various fields, as well as anthropogenic contributions. Various examples from industry, nuclear energy, radiochemistry, geochemistry, and nuclear medicine will be used to illustrate the basic concepts covered.
Hourly volumes:
CM: 12 p.m.
Tutorial: 8 hours
Objectives
The objective of this teaching unit is to provide students with a broad knowledge base ranging from the description of radioactive decay phenomena and radioactive series to the different categories of radioelements and radionuclides, as well as their potential applications. It will also involve drawing up an inventory of the different categories of primordial or induced natural radioactivity and artificial radioactivity.
Mandatory prerequisites
Chemistry, physical chemistry, or physics classes
Knowledge assessment
Continuous assessment
Syllabus
General information:
- History and discoveries
- Description of radioactive decay phenomena
- Concept of decay period
- Concepts of radioelement and radionuclide
- Fertile or fissile material
- Fission reaction and fission products
- Radioactive decay chains:
- Examples of affiliation to one or more bodies
- Extension of the problem to the case of n-body filiations (Bateman's law)
- Impact on the upstream part of the nuclear fuel cycle
- Consequences for the management of certain nuclear wastes
- Radioactive families:
- Cases of families experiencing natural decline
- Special role of radon
- Applications in geochemical dating methods
- Inventory of radioactive phenomena:
- Naturally occurring radioactive phenomena
- Artificial radioactive phenomena
- Induced phenomena
- Anthropogenic contribution
- Role of radon in radioecotoxicological inventory
- Chemical, physical, radiochemical, geochemical, and medical applications
Teaching will take the form of lectures and tutorials applied to cases from various fields of application in industry, such as radiochemistry, nuclear medicine, geochemistry, and the environment.
Additional information
Administrative contact(s): Master's in Chemistry Secretariat