Home > Terms > English, UK (UE) > Radioactive gas
Radioactive gas
1. In atmospheric electricity, any one of the three radioactive inert gases, radon, thoron, and actinon, that contributes to atmospheric ionisation by virtue of the ionising effect of the alpha particles that each emits on disintegration. These three gases are isotopic to each other, all having atomic number 86. They are members of distinct families of radioactive elements, but each is formed as a result of alpha emission and each decays by that process. They form in the interstices of soil or porous rocks containing their respective parent atoms in the forms of salts or minerals. By the process of exhalation, they enter the surface layers of the atmosphere and are then carried upward by turbulence and convection. 2. Any gaseous material containing radioactive atoms.
- Part of Speech: noun
- Synonym(s):
- Blossary:
- Industry/Domain: Weather
- Category: Meteorology
- Company: AMS
- Product:
- Acronym-Abbreviation:
Other Languages:
Member comments
Terms in the News
Featured Terms
Christmas tree tax
A 15-cent levy on each Christmas tree sold in the United States, announced on Tuesday 8 November in the Federal Register. The levy, which was to ...
Contributor
Featured blossaries
Browers Terms By Category
- Conferences(3667)
- Event planning(177)
- Exhibition(1)
Convention(3845) Terms
- Alcohol & Hydroxybenzene & Ether(29)
- Pigments(13)
- Organic acids(4)
- Intermediates(1)
Organic chemicals(47) Terms
- Muscular(158)
- Brain(145)
- Human body(144)
- Developmental anatomy(72)
- Nervous system(57)
- Arteries(53)
Anatomy(873) Terms
- Poker(470)
- Chess(315)
- Bingo(205)
- Consoles(165)
- Computer games(126)
- Gaming accessories(9)
Games(1301) Terms
- Investment banking(1768)
- Personal banking(1136)
- General banking(390)
- Mergers & acquisitions(316)
- Mortgage(171)
- Initial public offering(137)