Radioactive beams — A new application of radioanalytical chemistry

Abstract

An emerging, exciting area of nuclear science is the use of radioactive nuclear beams to study chemical and physical phenomena. One uses the radioactive products (ms<t1/2<y) of nuclear reactions induced by charged particles or nuetrons to induce secondary reactions or to act as radiotracers. The use of such beams enhances the tools of the radioanalytical chemist. Applications of such beams in materials science (where the beams act as tracers), and the synthesis of new nuclei (especially with Z≥104) are described.