Nuclide
Nuclide
A Nuclide (pronounced: /'njuːklaɪd/) is an atomic species characterized by the specific constitution of its nucleus, i.e., by its number of protons, its number of neutrons, and its nuclear energy state.
Etymology
The term "nuclide" was first coined by Truman P. Kohman in 1947. Kohman originally suggested nuclide as referring to a "species of atom with a distinct nucleus".
Definition
A nuclide is characterized by the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus, as well as its energy state. For example, the nuclide Carbon-14 has 6 protons and 8 neutrons. The protons define the element (in this case, carbon), and the sum of protons and neutrons gives the atomic mass number (14 for Carbon-14).
Related Terms
- Isotope: Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element which differ in neutron number, and consequently in nucleon number. All isotopes of a given element have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons in each atom.
- Radionuclide: A radionuclide is an atom that has excess nuclear energy, making it unstable. This excess energy can be used in one of three ways: emitted from the nucleus as gamma radiation; transferred to one of its electrons to release it as a conversion electron; or used to create and emit a new particle (alpha particle or beta particle) from the nucleus.
- Nucleon: A nucleon is one of the particles that make up the atomic nucleus. Each atomic nucleus consists of one or more nucleons, and each atom in turn consists of a cluster of nucleons surrounded by one or more electrons.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Nuclide
- Wikipedia's article - Nuclide
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski