Another Day

Well, today, I felt like killing myself, just kidding, but I am so bored it is not even funny, I feel like, like a aaaaa. . . heck, I don't know. Well today I've decided to give my first Chemistry lecture: SO IF YOU DON'T LIKE CHEMISTRY, you can go eat some cake, ha you thought I was going to swear didn't you?

Anyways, today's lecture is Radiochemistry, of which I am officially registered to practice, by law, cool huh? Radiochemistry is the study of Radiation and Radioactive substances. To begin:

What is Radiation?

Radiation is a form of energy transfer and comes in three main forms: Alpha, Beta and Gamma. The first two deal with the actual transfer of mass. Radiation occurs in several different occurences, such when a reaction occurs, or an element becomes too large and must break apart. This usually results in Alpha Radiation. Radiation must not be confused with electromagnetic radiation, because that is not the type of radiation we are talking about, that involves the light spectrum and other electromagnetic systems.

Radiation's three primary forms are alpha, beta and gamma, of these only one form has actual mass: Alpha.

Alpha radiation is the result of an isotope of an element being too large, like Uranium-235. This means that the element, or isotope of the element is so large, that it, over time breaks down into smaller forms, in the case Uranium-235, it breaks down into Thorium-231, by emitting an Alpha particle, which is a particle that has two protons and two neutrons, which is identical to a Helium ion of -2 charge, however, this is not a natural element, because it has no electrons. But because Alpha particles look similar to a Helium atom the He symbol is used to represent alpha particles. Alpha radiation, due to its size poses no harm to the body as long as it does not get inside of you. This is easily prevented, because alpha radiation cannot penetrate the skin, however, the object procurring the radiation manages to be ingested or breathed in, it can pose a serious threat to the body, as it will quickly damage internal organs and other parts of the body. Today, the greatest amount of Alpha Radiation that is present comes from the element Radon, which is a noble gas, but because Radon is so large, it is unstable and decays rather quickly. The threat from Radon comes from the large amounts of Uranium in the ground decaying to Thorium and then to Radium and finally to Radon, which is always present as a gas, which then seeps up out of the ground and can pose a threat to home owners by entering homes and also by being dug up by construction workers, these Radon bubbles are very dangerous and Radon is very dangerous, because it is a gas and is easily breathed in. Although Radon, emits Alpha Radiation, and it is very easy to block, the ability for Radon to enter the body by being breathed in makes it very dangerous.

Beta Radiation is the emittance of an electron, and occurs when an element is too small. Although Beta Particles do have mass, that mass is so small that it is considered negligble. Beta radiation comes from most objects and is always present around you. Beta Radiation is not as easily blocked as Alpha Radiation, but is not as dangerous, usually a thick cloth, thin sheet of metal or plastic is sufficient to block Beta Radiation.

Gamma Radiation is the most common form of radiation, because it is emitted by the sun and most forms of light. Gamma Radiation does not do its damage as quickly as Beta or Alpha Radiation, but is still dangerous as is. Gamma Radiation is the primary benefactor of Melanoma and Skin Cancer. Gamma Radiation is very difficult to block and can take several feet thick of Lead Metal to block the Radiation. Therefore the prevention and safety measures to take against Gamma Radiation is by just not getting near, it, which is impossible, so the best way is to get as little exposure as possible.

Well in short that sums up Radiochemistry, there is much more, but I've lost interest in the topic, I hope that I have shared some wondeful information with you. So, without further adieu, good night.