Deck 21: Radioactivity and Nuclear Chemistry

Question 1

Write the nuclear equation for the alpha decay of Th.

A) He + Th → U
B) n + Th → Th
C) Th → e + Ac
D) Th → He + Ra
E) Th → e + Pa

Answer 1

Th → He + Ra

Question 2

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the electron capture by Rb.

A) Kr
B) Sr
C) Br
D) Y
E) Kr

Answer 2

Kr

Question 3

Write a nuclear equation for the alpha decay of U.

A) U → n + U
B) U → e + Np
C) U → He + Th
D) U → e + Pa
E) U → e + Pa

Answer 3

U → He + Th

Question 4

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the positron emission of C.

A) B
B) N
C) C
D) B
E) N

Question 5

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the positron emission of N.

A) O
B) C
C) O
D) B
E) F

Question 6

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the alpha decay of Ra.

A) Fr
B) Ac
C) Po
D) Th
E) Rn

Question 7

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the beta decay of Tc.

A) Ru
B) Rh
C) Nb
D) Mo
E) Ru

Question 8

Write a nuclear equation for the alpha decay of Pu.

A) Pu → e + Am
B) Pu → He + U
C) Pu → e + Np
D) Pu → n + Pu
E) Pu → e + Np

Question 9

Identify the scientist(s)that were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for the discovery of radioactivity in 1903.

A) Johannes Geiger, Marie Curie
B) Albert Einstein
C) Antoine-Henri Becquerel, Marie Curie, Pierre Curie
D) Ernest Rutherford, Johannes Geiger
E) Galileo Galilei

Question 10

Write the nuclear equation for the alpha decay of Ra.

A) Ra + He → Th
B) Ra → n + Ra
C) Ra → e + Ac
D) Ra + e → Ac
E) Ra → He + Rn

Question 11

Write a nuclear equation for the alpha decay of Am.

A) Am → He + Np
B) Am → He + Bk
C) Am → e + Cm
D) Am → e + Pu
E) Am → n + Am

Question 12

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the beta decay of Sr.

A) Sr
B) Y
C) Y
D) Kr
E) Se

Question 13

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the electron capture by Fe.

A) Co
B) Mn
C) Co
D) Mn
E) Cr

Question 14

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the alpha decay of Po.

A) Po
B) Hg
C) At
D) Pb
E) Rn

Question 15

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Positrons are similar in ionizing power and penetrating power to beta particles.
B) A positron is the antiparticle of the electron.
C) Beta decay occurs when a neutron changes into a proton while emitting an electron.
D) An alpha particle is a helium 2+ ion.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 16

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the positron emission of O.

A) C
B) F
C) N
D) N
E) C

Question 17

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Gamma rays have the lowest ionizing power of any radioactivity.
B) Alpha radiation has the highest penetrating power of any radioactivity.
C) Beta emitters will do more damage than alpha emitters within the body.
D) Beta radiation has the highest ionizing power of any radioactivity.
E) None of the above are true.

Question 18

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the alpha decay of Rn.

A) Po
B) Ra
C) Th
D) Rn
E) At

Question 19

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the beta decay of Pb.

A) Pt
B) Tl
C) Hg
D) Bi
E) Pb

Question 20

Identify an alpha particle.

A) e
B) n
C) e
D) He
E) γ

Question 21

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the electron capture by Pa.

A) Th
B) Np
C) Ac
D) U
E) Th

Question 22

The following reaction represents what nuclear process? Am → He + Np

A) beta emission
B) neutron bombardment
C) alpha emission
D) electron capture
E) positron emission

Question 23

The following reaction represents what nuclear process? Pb → e + Bi

A) alpha emission
B) gamma emission
C) electron capture
D) neutron bombardment
E) beta emission

Question 24

The following reaction represents what nuclear process? I → e + Xe

A) alpha emission
B) gamma emission
C) electron capture
D) neutron bombardment
E) beta emission

Question 25

Identify the elements used in radiometric dating.

A) carbon-14 to nitrogen-14
B) uranium-238 to lead-206
C) potassium-40 to argon-40
D) none of the above
E) all of the above

Question 26

Which of the following nuclides are most likely to decay via beta decay?

A) I-131
B) Ar-40
C) F-18
D) Zr-90
E) Pb-206

Question 27

Nuclides above the valley of stability can become more stable through which of the following processes?

A) beta emission
B) positron emission
C) gamma emission
D) electron capture
E) neutron bombardment

Question 28

The following reaction represents what nuclear process? Th → He + Ra

A) alpha emission
B) gamma emission
C) electron capture
D) neutron bombardment
E) beta emission

Question 29

The following reaction represents what nuclear process? Cs + e → Xe

A) beta emission
B) positron emission
C) gamma emission
D) electron capture
E) alpha capture

Question 30

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) If N/Z ratio is too high, there are too many protons and the nuclide will undergo positron emission or electron capture.
B) If N/Z ratio lies somewhere below 1, the nuclide is stable.
C) If N/Z ratio is too low, there are too many neutrons and the nuclide will undergo beta decay.
D) The valley of stability is the geographic location where many of the known nuclides were first discovered.
E) None of the above are true.

Question 31

Identify the missing particle in the following nuclear equation: Th → He + ?

A) U
B) Ac
C) Ac
D) Ra
E) Ra

Question 32

Which of the following nuclides are most likely to decay via beta decay?

A) I-126
B) Al-24
C) N-13
D) Cs-137
E) Na-20

Question 33

Identify the instrument(s)used to detect radiation.

A) film-badge dosimeter
B) Geiger-Muller counter
C) scintillation counter
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 34

Identify the missing particle in the following nuclear equation: Pb → e + ?

A) Bi
B) Tl
C) Pb
D) Pb
E) Tl

Question 35

Identify the nuclide that has the longest half-life.

A) U
B) C
C) Rn
D) Th
E) Th

Question 36

Identify the nuclide that has the shortest half-life.

A) U
B) C
C) Rn
D) Th
E) Th

Question 37

Identify the technique used to predict the age of the Shroud of Turin.

A) uranium-238 to lead-206
B) potassium-40 to argon-40
C) carbon-14 to nitrogen-14
D) none of the above
E) all of the above

Question 38

Nuclides below the valley of stability can become more stable through which of the following processes?

A) gamma emission
B) beta emission
C) positron emission
D) neutron emission
E) neutron bombardment

Question 39

Which of the following nuclides are most likely to decay via positron emission?

A) Na-26
B) I-121
C) Ca-42
D) S-30
E) Sb-122

Question 40

Which of the following nuclides are most likely to decay via positron emission?

A) Cs-137
B) I-131
C) Al-24
D) K-42
E) N-14

Question 41

Calculate the mass defect in Ni-59 if the mass of a Ni-59 nucleus is 58.69344 amu.The mass of a proton is 1.00728 amu and the mass of a neutron is 1.008665 amu.

A) 0.232 amu
B) 0.779 amu
C) 0.230 amu
D) 0.775 amu
E) 0.221 amu

Question 42

Calculate the mass defect in Mo-96 if the mass of a Mo-96 nucleus is 95.962 amu.The mass of a proton is 1.00728 amu and the mass of a neutron is 1.008665 amu.

A) 0.197 amu
B) 0.795 amu
C) 0.212 amu
D) 0.812 amu
E) 0.188 amu

Question 43

The amount of energy required to break apart the nucleus into its component nucleons is the

A) mass defect.
B) alpha decay.
C) nuclear binding energy.
D) electron capture.
E) beta decay.

Question 44

Write a nuclear equation to describe the spontaneous fission of Am to form I-134 and Mo-107. Determine how many neutrons are produced in the reaction.

A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 3
E) 4

Question 45

An archaeologist graduate student found a leg bone of a large animal during the building of a new science building.The bone had a carbon-14 decay rate of 14.8 disintegrations per minute per gram of carbon.Living organisms have a decay rate of 15.3 disintegrations per minute.How old is the bone?

A) 53.3 years
B) 275 years
C) 111 years
D) 25 years
E) 83 years

Question 46

Define mass defect.

A) the difference in mass between an atom and the sum of its separate components
B) an atom with too many neutrons
C) the difference in mass between a radioactive atom and a nonradioactive atom
D) energy released in a radioactive reaction
E) energy absorbed in a radioactive reaction

Question 47

The following reaction represents what nuclear process? U + n → Ba + Kr + 3 n

A) nuclear fission
B) nuclear fusion
C) electron capture
D) alpha decay
E) beta emission

Question 48

A geological sample is found to have a Pb-206/U-238 mass ratio of 0.337/1.00.Assuming there was no Pb-206 present when the sample was formed,how old is it? The half-life of U-238 is 4.5 × 10⁹ years.

A) 7.3 × 10¹¹ years
B) 1.4 × 10¹⁰ years
C) 2.4 × 10¹⁰ years
D) 2.1 × 10⁹ years
E) 7.1 × 10⁹ years

Question 49

Iodine-131 undergoes beta emission with a half-life of 8.02 days.If you start with 44.3 mg of the material,how long will it take for the amount of iodine-131 to drop to 15.3 mg?

A) 8.02 days
B) 12.3 days
C) 23.5 days
D) 10.8 days
E) 19.8 days

Question 50

Calculate the mass defect in Fe-56 if the mass of an Fe-56 nucleus is 55.921 amu.The mass of a proton is 1.00728 amu and the mass of a neutron is 1.008665 amu.

A) 0.528 amu
B) 3.507 amu
C) 0.564 amu
D) 1.056 amu
E) 0.079 amu

Question 51

Write a nuclear equation to describe the neutron induced fission of U-235 to form Xe-134 and Sr-100.Determine how many neutrons are produced in the reaction.

A) 4
B) 3
C) 1
D) 0
E) 2

Question 52

The age of an ancient tree trunk is estimated using radiocarbon dating.If the trunk has a C-14 decay rate that is 34% of what it is in living plants,how old is the trunk? The half-life of C-14 is 5730 years.

A) 2.92 × 10⁴ years
B) 1.94 × 10⁴ years
C) 8.92 × 10³ years
D) 5.31 × 10³ years
E) 1.74 × 10² years

Question 53

Fluorine-18 undergoes positron emission with a half-life of 1.10 × 10² minutes.If a patient is given a 248 mg dose for a PET scan,how long will it take for the amount of fluorine-18 to drop to 83 mg? (Assume that none of the fluorine is excreted from the body.)

A) 99 minutes
B) 1.74 × 10² minutes
C) 1.32 × 10² minutes
D) 3.00 × 10² minutes
E) 2.11 × 10² minutes

Question 54

The nuclide As-76 has a half-life of 26.0 hours.If a sample of As-76 weighs 344 g,what mass of As-76 remains after 538 minutes?

A) 67.8 g
B) 271 g
C) 144 g
D) 437 g
E) 251 g

Question 55

Determine the binding energy of an O-16 nucleus.The O-16 nucleus has a mass of 15.9905 amu.A proton has a mass of 1.00728 amu,a neutron has a mass of 1.008665 amu,and 1 amu is equivalent to 931 MeV of energy.

A) 8.84 MeV
B) 128 MeV
C) 138 MeV
D) 78.1 MeV
E) 38.2 MeV

Question 56

Determine the binding energy of an F-19 nucleus.The F-19 nucleus has a mass of 18.99840325 amu.A proton has a mass of 1.00728 amu,a neutron has a mass of 1.008665 amu,and 1 amu is equivalent to 931 MeV of energy.

A) 142 MeV
B) 796 MeV
C) 1080 MeV
D) 143 MeV
E) 145 MeV

Question 57

The splitting of the uranium atom is an example of

A) radioactive cleavage.
B) nuclear fission.
C) nuclear fusion.
D) radioactive merge.
E) half life.

Question 58

Write a nuclear equation to describe the neutron induced fission of Pu to form Kr and Ce.Determine how many neutrons are produced in the reaction.

A) 2
B) 0
C) 3
D) 1
E) 4

Question 59

Give the goal of the Manhattan project.

A) to build an hydrogen bomb
B) to build the first particle accelerator at Cornell
C) to build an atomic bomb
D) to build the first nuclear reactor to generate electricity for Manhattan
E) to set up the electrification of Manhattan using DC current

Question 60

The splitting of a heavy nucleus to form two or more lighter ones is called

A) radioactive cleavage.
B) nuclear fission.
C) nuclear fusion.
D) radioactive merge.
E) half life.

Question 61

Identify the lowest natural radiation.

A) cosmic radiation from outer space
B) terrestrial radiation
C) natural radionuclides in the body
D) a five-hour jet airplane ride
E) radon gas

Question 62

Which particle has the lowest penetrating power?

A) alpha particle
B) beta particle
C) gamma particle
D) positron capture
E) electron emission

Question 63

Describe what changes occur during alpha decay.

A) The mass number and atomic number decreases.
B) The mass number and atomic number increases.
C) The mass number increases and the atomic number decreases.
D) The mass number decreases and the atomic number increases.
E) The mass number and atomic number do not change.

Question 64

Define transmutation.

A) the transformation of one element into another
B) the loss of neutrons from an atom
C) the loss of electrons from an atom
D) the loss of protons from an atom
E) the gain of neutrons to an atom

Question 65

Which of the following is a transuranium element?

A) Cf
B) U
C) Rn
D) Ra
E) Sr

Question 66

The following reaction represents what nuclear process? H + H → He + n

A) nuclear fusion
B) alpha emission
C) beta emission
D) nuclear fission
E) neutron capture

Question 67

The combination of two light nuclei to form a heavier nuclei is called

A) radioactive cleavage.
B) nuclear fission.
C) nuclear fusion.
D) radioactive merge.
E) half life.

Question 68

Identify the necessary components for a nuclear fusion reactor.

A) two light elements
B) extremely high temperatures
C) strong magnetic fields
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 69

Identify the part of the body that can be studied with radiotracers.

A) spleen
B) brain
C) heart
D) tumors
E) all of the above

Question 70

Identify the highest natural radiation.

A) cosmic radiation from outer space
B) terrestrial radiation
C) natural radionuclides in the body
D) a five-hour jet airplane ride
E) radon gas

Question 71

Determine the binding energy per nucleon of an Mg-24 nucleus.The Mg-24 nucleus has a mass of 23.985054 amu.A proton has a mass of 1.00728 amu,a neutron has a mass of 1.008665 amu,and 1 amu is equivalent to 931 MeV of energy.

A) 0.3050 MeV
B) 8.83 MeV
C) 0.113 MeV
D) 106 MeV
E) 4.41 MeV

Question 72

Determine the binding energy of an H-3 nucleus.The H-3 nucleus has a mass of 3.0160 amu.A proton has a mass of 1.00728 amu,and a neutron has a mass of 1.008665 amu.

A) 3.75 × 10¹⁵ J/mol
B) 6.47 × 10⁵ J/mol
C) 8.42 × 10¹³ J/mol
D) 6.50 × 10¹¹ J/mol
E) 1.64 × 10⁸ J/mol

Question 73

Which particle has the highest penetrating power?

A) alpha particle
B) proton particle
C) gamma particle
D) positron emission
E) electron emission

Question 74

Determine the identity of the daughter nuclide from the beta decay of Dy.

A) Tb
B) Er
C) Ho
D) Gd
E) Dy

Question 75

Samarium-158 undergoes beta emission with a half-life of 5.30 minutes.If you start with 76.2 mg of the material,how long will it take until you have 18.9 mg of the sample?

A) 3.51 minutes
B) 5.30 minutes
C) 10.6 minutes
D) 18.4 minutes
E) 26.3 minutes

Question 76

Identify the radioactive green light that glows in the dark.

A) methyl red
B) radioactivity
C) phosphorescence
D) desensitivity
E) neon

Question 77

Identify the common radiotracers used in the diagnosis of medical problems.

A) fluorine-18
B) iodine-131
C) thallium-201
D) iron-59
E) all of the above

Question 78

technetium-99m can be used to label antibodies in order to help locate infections.What type of emission is associated with technetium-99m?

A) alpha emission
B) beta emission
C) gamma emission
D) positron emission
E) electron capture

Question 79

Write a nuclear equation for the alpha decay of Fm.

A) Cf + e → Bk
B) Cf + He → Fm
C) Fm → e + Es
D) Fm → n + Fm
E) Fm → He + Cf

Question 80

iodine-131 is used to help image the thyroid gland,and undergoes beta emission.How many protons are found in the product nuclide after emission?

A) 53
B) 54
C) 77
D) 78
E) 131