RADIOACTIVITY: HENRI BECQUEREL

                Radioactivity is a spontaneous disintegration of nucleus resulting in the emission of particles and rays in the process. Note, the particles emitted are known as radioactive decay. When disintegration occurs it produces another substance called the daughter nucleus and the process is known as transmutation. The daughter nucleus is not stable until they go through several spontaneous disintegration.

                HENRI BECQUEREL was the first to investigate radioactivity through salt called uranium in the year 1896. The rays emitted by WOULD penetrate opaque materials, affect photographic plate and could also make certain material florescence. The famous scientist, PIERE and MARIE CURRIE in the year 1898 isolated two element called polonium and radium. From several experiment, it is observed that radiation liberates energy called nuclear energy, it ionizes gas to make material florescence, it affect photographic plates, it different from other chemical reaction because temperature and pressure do not affect the rate at which it emit rays or particles, it has high penetrating power, it is unstable.

                The types of particles emitted are gamma rays (g), alpha rays (a) and beta rays (b). but sometimes neutron is included.

The alpha ray has a symbol ⁴₂He, mass number of 4 and atomic number of 2

The beta rays has a symbol _-1⁰e, mass number of 0 and atomic number -1

The gamma ray has no symbol

CHARACTERISTICS

POINT TO BE NOTED	ALPHA RAYS	BETA RAYS	GAMMA RAYS
PENETRATING POWER	HAS LOW PENETRATING POWER	HIGHER THAN ALPHA RAYS	HAS THE HIGHEST
IONIZATION OF GAS	IT HAS THE HIGHEST. IONIZES GAS TO MAKE CERTAIN MATERIALS FLORESCENCE E.G. ZINC	IT HAS LOWER POWER TO IONIZE GAS WHICH MAKE MATERIAL FLORESCENCE E.G. ANTHECENSE NOT ZINC	DON’T IONIZE GAS
RANGES	IT MOVE CERTAIN CENTIMETERS	IT MOVES LONGER THAN ALPHA	IT HAS A WAVE LENTH OF 5X10^-9M
MATERIAL PENETRATES	PAPER	ALUMINIUM SHEET	LEAD BLOCK
SYMBOL	42He	-10e	NO SYMBOL
CHARGES	POSITIVE	NEGATIVE	NEUTRAL

More about radioactivity should be completed in your textbooks, good luck.

Recommended textbooks like essential textbook, new school chemistry and so on.