Nuclear Chemistry

3. The process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation.
5. The heavy element used as fuel in the Chernobyl RBMK reactor.
8. Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons.
9. These particles consist of two protons and two neutrons, essentially a helium nucleus.
12. The antimatter counterpart to an electron, carrying a positive charge.
13. The name of the city closest to the power plant that was evacuated in 1986.
14. The process of splitting a heavy nucleus into two lighter nuclei, releasing energy.
15. The time required for half of a radioactive substance to decay.

1. An electron or positron emitted during radioactive decay.
2. The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or moving subatomic particles.
4. The small, dense center of an atom containing protons and neutrons.
6. High-energy electromagnetic radiation that has no mass and no charge.
7. The structure where nuclear chain reactions are initiated and controlled.
10. The material used as a moderator in the Chernobyl reactor that caught fire.
11. The process where two light nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus.