What is radioactivity?
Radioactivity is the process by which an atom or nucleus of an unstable element decays by emitting radiation. The radiation emitted can be in the form of alpha particles, beta particles, or gamma rays. The unstable element is said to be radioactive. The decay of a radioactive element is characterized by a half-life, which is the time it takes for half of the atoms of the element to decay.[1]
Who found that negative ions are radioactive?
In 1932, a group of scientists working at the University of California, Berkeley, led by Ernest O. Lawrence, discovered that negative ions are radioactive. The team was investigating the properties of atoms and molecules, and found that when they bombarded atoms with high-energy electrons, the atoms emitted negative ions. Further investigation revealed that the negative ions were radioactive, with a half-life of about 10 seconds.[2]
We done our best to answer the most common questions about ionizers and radiation in the following pages.