Hot atom chemistry

This chapter of the textbook on nuclear chemistry deals with hot atoms produced in nuclear transformation. The recoil energy calculations are presented. Excitation and ionization processes are overviewed. Questions concerning the slowing-down processes such as kinetic energy and charge state, the 'billiard-ball' model, kinetic theory and the impact model are discussed. The behaviour characteristics of high energy atoms in solid systems (emanation processes, chemical changes) and in organic systems (tritium reactions, the reactions of halogen atoms and of multivalent atoms) are summarized. Finally, the application of recoil atoms as markers in nuclear medicine is mentioned