Antoine-Henri Becquerel (1852 - 1908)

Antoine-Henri Becquerel (1852 - 1908)

 A quick look at our Star Scientist for today.

Name: Antoine-Henri Becquerel
DOB: 15/DEC/1852.
Died: 25/AUG/1908.
Discovery: Radioactivity of Uranium salt.
Nobel Prize: Yes (1903).

Antoine-Henri Becquerel was the son of Alexandre-Edmond. He was born in Paris on the 15th of December in the year 1852. After 56 years of stay on this planet earth, Antoine-Henri bidded farewell to earth.

He died on the 25th or August 1908. During his lifetime, Antoine-Henri was priviledge to study in the Ecole polytechnic and in the Natural History Museum. A spectacular deeds of this great physicist was the completion of the research work of his father and grandfather which lead to his discovering of the radioactivity of uranium salts in the year 1896 as record has it.

 However,the committee of the Nobel prize aware found him together with Pierre and Marie Curie fit to be honoured with the Nobel prize in the year 1903 for their tremendious contributions to the science world and for Becquerel's discovery in particular. As an active member of the French Science Academy,Antoine-Henri lived a life worth celebrated.

Radioactivity

Radioactivity is a process in which an unstable atomic nucleus release energy subatomic particles. Word of radioactivity is used to describe subatomic particles themselves. This phenomenon has been observed for heavy elements such as uranium and unstable isotopes, such as carbon-14.

The radioactivity was discovered in 1896 by French scientist Henri Becquerel, after which the unit is called the Becquerel radiation. Becquerel discovered that uranium salts could blacken the photographic plate is in the dark, even the barrier of the paper. Further experiments to distinguish between three different types of radiation - alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays. It is positively charged, negatively charged, and neutral, respectively. United States, human exposure to radioactivity measured in rad, where rad is the 0.01 per joule of energy absorbed by tissue.

Uranium Salt

Uranium salt is a silver-white metallic chemical element of the actinide series of the periodic table with atomic number 92. Is the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, 6 valence electrons. The uranium core is attached between 141 and 146 neutrons, the creation of six isotopes, the most common of which are of U-238 (146 neutrons) and U-235 (143 neutrons). All isotopes are unstable and uranium is weakly radioactive. Uranium has the highest weight of the natural elements atomic second, lighter than the plutonium-244. Its density is about 70% higher than lead, but not as dense as gold or tungsten. It occurs naturally in low concentrations of a few parts per million in soil, rock and water, and extracted uranium ore pitchblende.

Uranium is found in nature, such as uranium-238 (99.2742%) of uranium-235 (0.7204%), and a small amount of uranium-234 (0.0054%). Uranium is slowly by emitting an alpha particle. Half-life of uranium-238 is about 4.47 billion years and that uranium-235 is 704 million years, which makes them useful for dating the age of the earth.