Theory of radioactive disintegration
Teoría de la desintegración radiactiva (transmutación de elementos)
- Date
- 1902-1903 · confidence high
- Place
- McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Credited to
- Ernest Rutherford and Frederick Soddy
- People
- 👤 Ernest Rutherford1871–1937👤 Frederick Soddy1877–1956
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
Radioactivity consists of the spontaneous transformation of one element into another with the emission of particles, following an exponential law with a characteristic half-life. Transmutation, the alchemists' dream, is shown to be real.
What it led to
- Radioactive series
- Concept of isotope
- Radiometric dating
- Nuclear physics
Built on
- radioactivity of thorium
- radium emanation
Made possible
- Isotopes1913
- uranium-lead dating (Boltwood, 1907)