What happens when ionizing radiation strikes an atom in a chemical compound?

Answer 1

Nuclear radiation can affect atoms in a couple of different ways. It commonly makes them hotter. But also, when the radiation includes neutrons, they can be captured by the atoms around. This can cause those atoms to do a number of things, including:

• Undergoing fission, often releasing more neutrons
• Absorbing the neutron
• undergoing decay other than fission (even if the atom is not radioactive)
• bouncing the neutron off, and getting hot in the process

If the atom absorbs the neutron, its mass number changes, making it a different isotope. This often makes it a radioactive isotope, so it would decay at some later time.

The fact that certain atoms will undergo fission when they are struck by a neutron is what causes nuclear chain reactions used in nuclear power plants.

Answer 2

Ionising just changes the structure of the atom.

The photons (light waves behaving like particles) penetrate the atom and knock of the of the electrons orbiting the atom leaving the atom unbalanced. When it is left unbalanced, the atom is then written out with either a positive or negative charge, to show that the atom has been changed.

P.S I learned this is physics not chemistry.

:)

Answer 3

When ionizing radiation strikes an atom in a chemical compound the compound will scatter but quickly reform. The compound does this spontaneously after being struck.

Answer 4

ionize it of course, that is what ionizingmeans!

Ionizing radiation knocks electrons out of atoms, creating positively charged ions.

Answer 5

it will blow up