TEXTBOOK OF NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY: Principles, Reactions, Radiochemical Practice, Applications for Science and Engineering Students

Why does one nucleus last indefinitely while another is gone in microseconds, and how is that difference turned into energy, medicine, and measurement?

Nuclear chemistry sits where physics, chemistry, and engineering meet, so students and early-career scientists from any one of those fields often find large parts of it unfamiliar. It is common to follow a derivation on the page yet struggle to connect it to a decay curve, a reactor core, a detector spectrum, or a patient dose.

This textbook closes that gap. It assumes a background in general and physical chemistry and builds the nuclear-specific material from first principles, so the reasoning behind each result stays visible instead of being asserted. Fifteen chapters take you from the structure of the nucleus to the chemistry of waste management, safety, and nonproliferation.

Inside, you will learn to:

• Calculate mass defect, binding energy, decay constants, half-lives, and specific activity, with every step and unit shown
• Read the chart of the nuclides and predict decay modes from the valley of stability, magic numbers, and natural decay series
• Work out reaction Q-values, threshold energies, fission and fusion energy release, and neutron cross sections and reaction rates
• Apply tracer methods, isotope dilution, solvent extraction, ion exchange, and radionuclide production calculations
• Interpret detector output, gamma-ray spectra, and counting statistics, including propagated uncertainty and detection limits
• Move from absorbed dose to effective dose and use time, distance, and shielding to reduce exposure

Key topics include nuclear structure and binding energy, radioactive decay kinetics, nuclear stability, nuclear reactions, fission and fusion, cross sections, radiochemical separations, radionuclide generators, radiation detection, dosimetry, reactor chemistry and the fuel cycle, nuclear medicine, industrial and analytical applications, and nuclear waste management.

Who is it for? This book is written for chemistry, physics, and engineering students, early-career scientists, and anyone preparing to work with radioactive materials or ionizing radiation in energy, medicine, or industry.

Open the book and start building the judgment to see why the methods work and where their limits lie.