Neutron activation

entering excited states. The excited nucleus often decays immediately by emitting gamma rays, or
particles such as electrons (beta rays), alpha particles, or fission products and neutrons (in nuclear
fission). Thus, the process of neutron capture, even after any intermediate decay, often results in the
formation of an unstable activation product. Such radioactive nuclei can exhibit half-lives ranging
from small fractions of a second to many years.
Neutron activation is the only common way that a stable material can be induced into becoming
intrinsically radioactive. All naturally-occurring materials, including air, water, and soil, can be
induced (activated) by neutron capture into some amount of radioactivity in varying degrees, as a
result of production of neutron-rich radioisotopes. Some atoms require more than one neutron to
become unstable, which makes them harder to activate because the probability of a double or triple
capture by a nucleus is below that of single capture. Water, for example, is made up of hydrogen
and oxygen. Hydrogen requires a double capture to attain instability as hydrogen-3, tritium, while
oxygen requires three captures to become unstable oxygen-19. Thus water is relatively difficult to
activate, as compared to sea salt (NaCl), in which both the sodium and chlorine atoms become
unstable with a single capture each. These facts were realized first-hand at the Operation
Crossroads atomic test series in 1946.
Occurrence[edit]
Neutron activation is the only common way that a stable material can be induced into becoming
intrinsically radioactive. Neutrons are only free in quantity in the microseconds after a nuclear
weapon's explosion and in an active nuclear reactor.
In an atomic weapon, neutrons are only generated for from 1 to 50 microseconds, but in huge
numbers. Most are absorbed by the metallic bomb casing, which has not yet or only just started to
be affected by the explosion within it. The neutron activation of the soon-to-be vaporized metal is
responsible for a significant portion of the nuclear fallout in nuclear bursts high in the atmosphere. In
other types of activation neutrons may irradiate soil that is disbursed in a mushroom cloud at or near
the Earth's surface, resulting in fallout from activation of soil chemical elements.
Effects on materials over time[edit]
In any location with high neutron fluxes, such as within the cores of nuclear reactors, neutron
activation contributes to material erosion; periodically the lining materials themselves must be
disposed of, as low-level radioactive waste. Some materials are more subject to neutron activation
than others, so a suitably chosen low-activation material can significantly reduce this problem and
the risk of a meltdown (see International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility). For
example Chromium-51 will form by neutron activation inChrome steel (which contains Cr-50) that is
exposed to a typical reactor neutron flux.
[2]

Uses[edit]
Radiation safety[edit]
For physicians and radiation safety officers, activation of sodium in the human body to sodium-24,
and phosphorus to phosphorus-31, can give a good immediate estimate of acute accidental neutron
exposure.
[3]

Examples[edit]
Main article: neutron capture
An example of this kind of a nuclear reaction occurs in the production of cobalt-60 within a nuclear
reactor:
59
27Co + n 60
27Co
The cobalt-60 then decays by the emission of a beta particle plus gamma rays into nickel-60.
This reaction has a half-life of about 5.27 years; and due to the availability of cobalt-59 (100% of
its natural abundance) this neutron bombarded isotope of cobalt is a valuable source of nuclear
radiation (namely gamma radiation) for radiotherapy.
[1]

In other cases, and depending on the kinetic energy of the neutron, the capture of a neutron can
cause nuclear fissionthe splitting of the atomic nucleus into two smaller nuclei. If the fission
requires an input of energy, that comes from the kinetic energy of the neutron. An example of
this kind of fission in a light element can occur when the stable isotope of lithium, lithium-7, is
bombarded with fast neutrons and undergoes the following nuclear reaction:
7
3Li + n 42He + 3
1H + n + gamma rays + kinetic energy
In other words, the capture of a neutron by lithium-7 causes it to split into an
energetic helium nuclei (alpha particle), a hydrogen-3 (tritium) nucleus and a free neutron.
The Castle Bravo accident, in which the thermonuclear bomb test at Enewetak Atoll in 1954
exploded with 2.5 times the expected yield, was caused by the unexpectedly high probability
of this reaction.