Free Course Image Nuclear and Radiochemistry

Free online course Nuclear and Radiochemistry

Duration of the online course: 31 hours and 56 minutes

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Master nuclear decay, radiation detection and radiochemistry basics with a free online course—clear lessons, practice questions, and a sharable certificate option.

In this free course, learn about

  • Scope of nuclear & radiochemistry and typical applications/problems it addresses
  • Radioactive decay law; relation between half-life and decay constant
  • Decay chains and equilibrium types (e.g., secular equilibrium for long-lived parent)
  • Nuclear stability factors: binding energy, N/Z ratio, pairing, and mass defects
  • Liquid drop model insights, including predictions about beta decay trends
  • Shell model concepts; explanation of magic numbers and extra stability
  • Beta decay mechanisms; key difference between beta− and beta+ decay
  • How fast electrons vs heavy charged particles lose energy and interact in matter
  • Radiation interaction basics underlying detector operation and signal formation
  • Detector principles and common types covered in the course lectures
  • Scintillation detection for gamma counting; why NaI(Tl) is advantageous

About the free online course

Build a solid foundation in nuclear and radiochemistry and learn to think like a physicist when it comes to radioactive processes, nuclear structure, and radiation measurement. This free online course is designed for students and curious learners who want clarity on concepts that often feel abstract: why some nuclei are stable while others decay, how to quantify radioactive change over time, and how different types of radiation interact with matter.

You will move step by step from the language of nuclei and isotopes to the practical mathematics of decay. Along the way, you will connect half-life, decay constants, and equilibrium ideas to real scenarios encountered in environmental measurements, medicine, research labs, and nuclear technology. Rather than memorizing facts, you will practice interpreting decay behavior and predicting outcomes, building confidence with the reasoning that underpins nuclear physics.

The course also emphasizes the models used to explain nuclear behavior, showing how different viewpoints complement one another when describing binding, stability, and pathways such as beta decay. You will gain intuition for what changes inside the nucleus during beta minus and beta plus processes and how these transformations fit into a broader picture of nuclear structure.

A key practical skill you will develop is understanding radiation interaction and detection. You will learn what makes charged particles lose energy differently in matter, why fast electrons behave unlike heavy charged particles, and what it means for a detector to convert radiation into a measurable signal. By exploring common detector approaches and the advantages of scintillation materials used for gamma counting, you will be better prepared to read instrumentation results and evaluate measurement choices.

To reinforce learning, the course includes question-driven checkpoints that help you test your understanding as you progress. If you are preparing for school physics exams, strengthening fundamentals for further study, or simply exploring how radiochemistry supports modern applications, this course offers a structured path from core ideas to meaningful insight.

Course content

  • Video class: Course Introduction - Nuclear and Radiochemistry 03m
  • Exercise: What is the primary focus of the nuclear and radio chemistry course mentioned?
  • Video class: Week 01: Lecture 01 32m
  • Video class: Week 01: Lecture 02 29m
  • Exercise: What is the relationship between half-life and decay constant in radioactive decay?
  • Video class: Week 01: Lecture 03 28m
  • Video class: Week 01: Lecture 04 32m
  • Exercise: In a scenario where a parent isotope is much longer-lived than its daughter isotope, what type of equilibrium is described?
  • Video class: Week 01: Lecture 05 30m
  • Video class: Week 02: Lecture 06 28m
  • Exercise: What influences the stability of atomic nuclei?
  • Video class: Week 02: Lecture 07 29m
  • Video class: Week 02: Lecture 08 30m
  • Exercise: What does the liquid drop model predict about beta decay?
  • Video class: Week 02: Lecture 09 29m
  • Video class: Week 02: Lecture 10 33m
  • Exercise: What concept does the shell model successfully explain?
  • Video class: Week 03: Lecture 11 31m
  • Video class: Week 03: Lecture 12 31m
  • Exercise: What is a key difference between beta minus and beta plus decay?
  • Video class: Week 3: Lecture 14 32m
  • Video class: Week 03: Lecture 15 29m
  • Exercise: What is a significant difference in the interaction mechanisms between fast electrons and heavy charged particles?
  • Video class: Week 04: Lecture 16 32m
  • Video class: Week 04: Lecture 17 32m
  • Exercise: What is the principle behind detecting radiation with a detector?
  • Video class: Week 04: Lecture 18 31m
  • Video class: Week 04: Lecture 19 27m
  • Exercise: What is the main advantage of sodium iodide doped with thallium as a scintillation detector for gamma counting?
  • Video class: Week 04: Lecture 20 32m
  • Video class: Week 05: Lecture 21 29m
  • Exercise: What was the first nuclear reaction carried out?
  • Video class: Week 5: Lecture 22 32m
  • Video class: Week 05: Lecture 23 32m
  • Exercise: What is a measure of the probability of occurrence of a nuclear reaction?
  • Video class: Week 05: Lecture 24 30m
  • Video class: Week 6: Lecture 26 33m
  • Exercise: What defines the stability of a compound nucleus formed in a nuclear reaction?
  • Video class: Week 6: Lecture 27 31m
  • Video class: Week 6: Lecture 28 28m
  • Exercise: What is a significant challenge in extending the periodic table?
  • Video class: Week 5: Lecture 25 31m
  • Video class: Week 6: Lecture 30 32m
  • Exercise: Which accelerator type is mainly used for producing radioisotopes in industry?
  • Video class: Week 6: Lecture 29 31m
  • Video class: Week 3: Lecture 13 32m
  • Exercise: What determines the type of gamma decay transition?
  • Video class: Week 7: Lecture 31 34m
  • Video class: Week 7: Lecture 32 32m
  • Exercise: What is the main advantage of using radioactive tracers in chemical processes?
  • Video class: Week 7: Lecture 33 33m
  • Video class: Week 7: Lecture 34 32m
  • Exercise: What is one of the primary benefits of Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA)?
  • Video class: Week 7: Lecture 35 31m
  • Video class: Week 8: Lecture 36 29m
  • Exercise: What is NRA in nuclear reaction analysis?
  • Video class: Week 8: Lecture 37 32m
  • Video class: Week 8: Lecture 38 33m
  • Exercise: What is the main application of Perturbed Angular Correlation (PAC) spectroscopy discussed in the lecture?
  • Video class: Week 8: Lecture 39 32m
  • Video class: Week 8: Lecture 40 34m
  • Exercise: What is one use of radioisotopes in industry according to the lecture?
  • Video class: Week 9: Lecture 41 29m
  • Video class: Week 9: Lecture 42 28m
  • Exercise: What is the approximate concentration of uranium in seawater?
  • Video class: Week 9: Lecture 43 36m
  • Video class: Week 9: Lecture 44 37m
  • Exercise: Which oxidation states are most commonly found for uranium?
  • Video class: Week 9: Lecture 45 38m
  • Video class: Week 10: Lecture 46 27m
  • Exercise: Which ion forms the most stable complex with ligands through electrostatic interactions?
  • Video class: Week 10: Lecture 47 34m
  • Video class: Week 10: Lecture 48 35m
  • Exercise: What determines the starting point of hydrolysis in metal ions?
  • Video class: Week 10: Lecture 49 34m
  • Video class: Week 10: Lecture 50 32m
  • Exercise: What is one key difference between the electronic spectra of lanthanides and actinides?
  • Video class: Week 11: Lecture 51 35m
  • Video class: Week 11: Lecture 52 32m
  • Exercise: What does an excitation spectrum measure in chemistry?
  • Video class: Week 11: Lecture 53 31m
  • Video class: Week 11: Lecture 54 30m
  • Exercise: What factor causes a decrease in plutonium 4+ ion extraction at high nitric acid concentrations?
  • Video class: Week 11: Lecture 55 33m
  • Video class: Week 12: Lecture 56 28m
  • Exercise: Which actinide is used as a power source in space shuttles?
  • Video class: Week12: Lecture 57 32m
  • Video class: Week 12: Lecture 58 34m
  • Exercise: What happens to neptunium ions at higher pH levels in clay minerals?
  • Video class: Week 12: Lecture 59 26m
  • Video class: Week 12: Lecture 60 33m
  • Exercise: Which phase of chemistry is easier for studying transactinide elements?

This free course includes:

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31 hours and 56 minutes of online video course

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Digital certificate of course completion (Free)

Icon for exercises to practice what you've learned

Exercises to train your knowledge

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100% free, from content to certificate

What is the relationship between radioactive half-life and the decay constant?

They are inversely related: t½ = ln(2)/λ, where λ is the decay constant.

What is secular equilibrium in a radioactive decay series?

It occurs when the parent isotope has a much longer half-life than its daughter, so the daughter’s activity becomes nearly equal to the parent’s activity.

Why is sodium iodide doped with thallium used for gamma-ray counting?

NaI(Tl) has high light output and efficiently converts gamma-ray interactions into measurable scintillation signals.

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