Radioactive Equilibrium

Ionizing & Non-Ionizing Radiation

Main Page
What is an Atom?
o Atomic Mass Units
o Atomic Shorthand
o Nuclides & Isotopes
Why Are Some Atoms Radioactive?
o Radiation and Radioactivity
o Hal!"ie
o #ecay $hains
o Radioactive %&uili'rium
o $uries
o Alpha Particles
o (eta Particles
o )amma Rays
o *ther #ecay Modes
Radioactive e&uili'rium or a decay chain occurs +hen the each radionuclide decays at the same
rate it is produced, At e&uili'rium- all radionuclides decay at the same rate, Understanding the
e&uili'rium or a given decay series- helps scientists estimate the amount o radiation that +ill 'e
present at various stages o the decay,
.or e/ample- as uranium!012 'egins to decay to thorium!013- the amount o thorium and its
activity increase, %ventually the rate o thorium decay e&uals its production its concentration
then remains constant, As thorium decays to proactinium!013- the concentration o proactinium!
013 and its activity rise until its production and decay rates are e&ual, When the production and
decay rates o each radionuclide in the decay chain are e&ual- the chain has reached radioactive
e&uili'rium,
%&uili'rium occurs in many cases, Ho+ever i the hal!lie o the decay product is much longer
than that o the original radionuclide- e&uili'rium cannot occur, 4he graphs 'elo+ illustrate the
progress o ingro+th- and its eect on overall activity- and the potential or radioactive
e&uili'rium in three general cases,
the original radionuclide and decay product hal!lives are similar
the original radionuclide has a much longer hal!lie
the decay product has a longer hal!lie
.or simplicity5s sa6e- the illustrations assume that the decay chain is only t+o steps the decay
product decays to a sta'le nuclide, As decay chains lengthen- the calculations 'ecome more
comple/,
Radionuclide and Decay Product Half-Lives re !imilar
When the hal!lie o the original radionuclide is only slightly longer or a'out the same as the
hal lie o the decay product- the total activity rises initially, 4his results rom the com'ined
decay o 'oth radionuclides, 7It pea6s slightly 'eore the activity o the decay product does,8
%ventually a 'alance 7e&uili'rium8 is reached,
4he total activity then decays at a'out the same rate as the original radionuclide, 4his is 6no+n
as 9transient e&uili'rium,
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Radionuclide Has a "uc# Longer Half-Life
When the hal!lie o the original radionuclide is much longer than the hal!lie o the decay
product- the decay product generates radiation more &uic6ly, Within a'out : hal lives o the
decay product- their activities are e&ual- and the amount o radiation 7activity8 is dou'led,
(eyond this point- the decay product decays at the same rate it is produced a state called 9secular
e&uili'rium,
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Decay Product Has a Longer Half-Life
I the hal!lie o the decay products is much longer than that o the original radionuclide- its
activity 'uilds up to a ma/imum and then declines, 4he original radionuclide eventually decays
a+ay and no e&uili'rium occurs,