I love teaching nuclear chemistry! I studied abroad at Fachhochschule Aachen in Nuclear Applications, so I can bring some real-world experience to my class discussions. There was a real nuclear plant on site where many of the friends I made did research. No, I did not have clearance to enter as a study abroad student. I did, however, get to work with radioactive materials in my nuclear chemistry lab. I remember having to put a Geiger counter in my lab coat pocket before we entered the lab. We also had to stand on these larger counters when we exited just to double-check our dosages.
Most textbooks have Nuclear Chemistry as one of, if not the last chapter. I prefer teaching nuclear chemistry after the atom because students have just learned about the nucleus, so I frame it as a continuation of the atom. I focus on the nucleus first and then move on to the electron cloud with our study of electron notations. If that’s not possible for you, no worries! I think this unit would also fall well after Thermochemistry so your class could continue their discussion of energy flow.
Each of these activities is not necessarily meant to represent a single day. Depending on how you teach or how long your class discussions last, each topic could take .5 – 2 days. I’ve included how much time I spend on each as a guide, but feel free to modify it to your needs.
Nuclear Chemistry Lesson Plans
Total Duration: 8 – 13 days
Note: a day refers to 45-50 minute periods
| Topic & Timeline | Tasks | Description |
| What is Radiation? 1 day | -Discussion -Radioactive particles -Notes + Practice | I start our introduction to nuclear chemistry with an open discussion about radiation. Where does it come from? I ask my students what they think of when they hear “radiation”? I give each group some subatomic particles (you can use beads, puffballs, paper circles, etc.). I ask them to build radioactive particles with a charge of 0, 1-, and 2+. We then move on to discuss the three most common forms of radiation. I have a piece of paper, aluminum foil, and lead so they can relate relative penetrating power to the size of the particles. We watch two short clips about the sources of everyday radiation. The clips are old but give some good background information. Time permitting, I’ll have them calculate their own radiation dosage. –Sources of radiation clip –Calculate your radiation dose |
| Radioactive Decay 1 day | Notes + Practice | We use our new knowledge of radioactive particles to introduce the idea of transumation. Alpha decay, beta decay, positron emission, and gamma decay. Students then practice writing nuclear decay reactions. |
| Fission & Fusion 1 day | Notes + Practice | Now, I shift gears from natural to man-made radiation. We take notes and talk about how the nuclear reactions for decay compare to fission and fusion. |
| Types of Nuclear Reactions 1 day | ORISE Nuclear Chemistry Card Sort | You can use this activity before or after taking decay and fission/fusion notes. Students will categorize concepts as decay, fission, or fusion. |
| Half-Life Lab 1 – 2 days | Lab | I got this half-life lab from my cooperating teacher while student teaching, and I’ve used it ever since. Students simulate radioactive decay using pennies (or washers, any small disc is fine). They make a 3D bar graph of their decay series. They also graph their data for pennies decayed and pennies remaining. |
| Half-Life 1 day | Notes + Practice | Using our understanding from the lab, students define half-life and practice finding half-life in several ways (calculations, graphs, etc.). |
| Pros + Cons of Nuclear Power 1-3 days | Research or Gallery Walk | I like to have my students weigh the costs and benefits of using nuclear power. I use Sunrise Science’s Nuclear Energy Gallery Walk because it has short readings on several historical events, but she is no longer selling it. She does, however, have a Nuclear Chemistry Class Blog that gets students researching different aspects of nuclear chemistry and sharing it via a classroom blog. |
| Review 1 – 2 days | –Vocabulary Practice-Concept map-Task Cards | My students use their unit vocabulary to create a concept map. |
| Assessment |
I hope you found this helpful! If you’re looking for other chemistry lesson plans check out The Chemistry Particle’s Guide to Teaching High School Chemistry!
Save on my notes by purchasing the Nuclear Chemistry Notes Bundle!
Further Reading
Classroom Resources: Nuclear Chemistry from AACT
