You would find that many more gamma rays come from that button than you might imagine. I posted a video a while back where I showed the gamma spectrum of Am241. Nasty stuff. I like the close-up of the dial. Careful with that stuff!
hi i was worried last night cus one of my family menber try to kill off the beeping noise cus it was low on battery she poke the battery casing or the inside with stick to shut it off would that disturbed the radioactive sorce or is it safe
The Alpha is much more intense than what you are measuring; those are typically 1uCi Am-241 sources in smoke detectors. Your geiger counter, which appears to be shielded from alphas, is probably picking up decay daughter Pa-233 betas and other beta/gamma emitting impurities. Be careful handling smoke detector sources even though they are "sealed sources".
@euclon I do know first hand that these are much more 'intensive' sources than what the geiger counter in this video portrays. The CDV-700 in the video only measures beta and gamma and is of course picking up gammas from the Am source.
Could you pop off one of the ends of a small linear fluorescent bulb and place the 241Am inside the bulb to see if it fluoresces from the ionizing radiation bombarding the white phosphorus in the bulb while in the dark?
I dont have a fluorescent bulb right now. I would do a video but my video camera and pick up the very faint light that is emitted from a spinthariscope type device. I am not sure if the alpha radiation will illuminate the phosphor in a fluorescent bulb because i have only seen zinc sulfide used in radium watches and spinthariscopes.
I've tried it, and it's not really worth it. There is a very faint glow produced, but you cannot distinguish individual flashes even with a microscope from the non-alpha-reactive phosphors interfering. Better off getting activated Zinc Sulfide elsewhere. However if you do still choose to try this anyway, it only works if longwave UV light produces a blue glow from the bulb's phosphors, don't risk breaking one open needlessly if it doesn't pass that test.
Nothing would happen as far as i know. I WOULD NOT ATTEMPT putting americium in a microwave because it could turn the americium into a vapor and then you haveamericium floating around freely. dont quote me on any of this but i am sure nothing good would happen. If you were thing that the microwave radiation would make into another element that doesnt work like that, it is a whole other kind of radiation, the only way you could make an isotope is if you had a fusor or neutron emmiting source.
Great video! The source does emit a few beta particles due to the rather long decay chain of Americium-241 which is part of the Neptunium decay chain. It also emits gamma rays because some of the decay products will be in an excited state, but it's mostly Alpha, if I'm right that source should be about 37kBq(1.0µCi)
The cdv-700 isnt as accurate as the ludlum. the cdv-700 is older it has older electronics and the probe is built differently and it only measures beta gamma. My ludlum is newer has better electronics and a probe that detects alpha beta gamma.
I remember my First americium
Huffdev 2 weeks ago
You would find that many more gamma rays come from that button than you might imagine. I posted a video a while back where I showed the gamma spectrum of Am241. Nasty stuff. I like the close-up of the dial. Careful with that stuff!
antiprotons 2 weeks ago
she didn't open the compartment where the radioactive stuff is store
aliennation112 2 months ago
hi i was worried last night cus one of my family menber try to kill off the beeping noise cus it was low on battery she poke the battery casing or the inside with stick to shut it off would that disturbed the radioactive sorce or is it safe
aliennation112 2 months ago
Your CD V700 will not detect alpha radiation, you need a thin window tube. You are detecting gamma.
intercomsec 10 months ago
@intercomsec No where did I say that it WAS measuring alpha.
jrbpyro101 10 months ago
The Alpha is much more intense than what you are measuring; those are typically 1uCi Am-241 sources in smoke detectors. Your geiger counter, which appears to be shielded from alphas, is probably picking up decay daughter Pa-233 betas and other beta/gamma emitting impurities. Be careful handling smoke detector sources even though they are "sealed sources".
euclon 10 months ago
@euclon I do know first hand that these are much more 'intensive' sources than what the geiger counter in this video portrays. The CDV-700 in the video only measures beta and gamma and is of course picking up gammas from the Am source.
jrbpyro101 10 months ago
What type of radiation does a gieger counter measure?
flyboy172r 1 year ago
@flyboy172r A geiger counter can measure any type of radiation depending on what type of probe it has on it.
jrbpyro101 1 year ago
what would happen if you were to breathe in the vapor?
InvaderZimFan101 1 year ago
the newer ones are harder to take apart. with the one you had all you have to do is smash it on the sidewalk and it pops off.
ema576 2 years ago
Could you pop off one of the ends of a small linear fluorescent bulb and place the 241Am inside the bulb to see if it fluoresces from the ionizing radiation bombarding the white phosphorus in the bulb while in the dark?
onthecuttingedge2005 2 years ago
I dont have a fluorescent bulb right now. I would do a video but my video camera and pick up the very faint light that is emitted from a spinthariscope type device. I am not sure if the alpha radiation will illuminate the phosphor in a fluorescent bulb because i have only seen zinc sulfide used in radium watches and spinthariscopes.
jrbpyro101 2 years ago
@jrbpyro101 you use gloves to stop alpha radiactions. but the gamma radioactions keep going pierce your hand ...
vitorix24 2 years ago
I've tried it, and it's not really worth it. There is a very faint glow produced, but you cannot distinguish individual flashes even with a microscope from the non-alpha-reactive phosphors interfering. Better off getting activated Zinc Sulfide elsewhere. However if you do still choose to try this anyway, it only works if longwave UV light produces a blue glow from the bulb's phosphors, don't risk breaking one open needlessly if it doesn't pass that test.
AScannerClearly 2 years ago
@onthecuttingedge2005 When opening fluorescent tubes, care must be taken as they contain Mercury droplets and vapor-about 5mg of it.
sonconmas 1 year ago
do you know if someting speciel happen if i put americium in the microwave? SOmething differant than other non radioactive metal?
pouletpanez 2 years ago
Nothing would happen as far as i know. I WOULD NOT ATTEMPT putting americium in a microwave because it could turn the americium into a vapor and then you haveamericium floating around freely. dont quote me on any of this but i am sure nothing good would happen. If you were thing that the microwave radiation would make into another element that doesnt work like that, it is a whole other kind of radiation, the only way you could make an isotope is if you had a fusor or neutron emmiting source.
jrbpyro101 2 years ago
Great video! The source does emit a few beta particles due to the rather long decay chain of Americium-241 which is part of the Neptunium decay chain. It also emits gamma rays because some of the decay products will be in an excited state, but it's mostly Alpha, if I'm right that source should be about 37kBq(1.0µCi)
JFischer91 2 years ago
how accurate is that meter compared to your ludlum ?
morganhv 2 years ago
The cdv-700 isnt as accurate as the ludlum. the cdv-700 is older it has older electronics and the probe is built differently and it only measures beta gamma. My ludlum is newer has better electronics and a probe that detects alpha beta gamma.
jrbpyro101 2 years ago
Ya i know i have 7 americium sources and i put them all together and i got 250,000+ counts per minute
jrbpyro101 2 years ago
Nice!but why did u wear the gloves u scared ?=P
DUDE POLONIUM9 LIKE EATS THAT STUFF AND HE HAS NO MUTATIONS OR ANYTHING(BESIDES A TAIL)
JaksProductions 2 years ago
i wore a glove cause its electoplated on so it rubs off easily. personal experience
jrbpyro101 2 years ago
Nice video, real clear and sharp, what camera are you using?
mkrubsack 2 years ago
a sony digital hi-8 camera from about 2004
jrbpyro101 2 years ago
The Neptunium decay chain begins with the first decay product of Americium-241, Neptunium-237.
FissionableFusion 2 years ago 2
Search for the Neptunium Series
FissionableFusion 2 years ago
Americium-241 does not emit radon. Check the decay chain.
FissionableFusion 2 years ago
it is elecro-plated into the little disk
Dharok60 2 years ago