Deck 17: Nuclear Chemistry

Question 1

Indicate the missing word or words in the following definition: "Radioactive is the term used to describe nuclides that possess ________ nuclei that spontaneously emit radiation."

A) abnormally large
B) unstable
C) nonspherical
D) elongated

Answer 1

unstable

Question 2

The discovery of the phenomenon of radioactivity dates back to the decade ________.

A) 1810-1820
B) 1850-1860
C) 1890-1900
D) 1930-1940

Answer 2

1890-1900

Question 3

Which of the following types of radiation is composed of particles which carry a 2+ charge?

A) alpha
B) beta
C) gamma
D) positron

Answer 3

alpha

Question 4

Which type of radioactive emission has a mass number of 4?

A) alpha particles
B) beta particles
C) gamma rays
D) positron emission

Question 5

Which type of radioactive emission is high energy radiation without mass or charge?

A) alpha particles
B) beta particles
C) gamma rays
D) positrons

Question 6

Which of the following nuclear changes does not represent alpha particle emission?

A) $\rightarrow$
B) $\rightarrow$
C) $\rightarrow$
D) $\rightarrow$

Question 7

The decay of to occurs through the emission of a(n) ________.

A) alpha particle
B) beta particle
C) proton
D) positron

Question 8

The alpha decay of produces a nuclide of ________.

A) Po
B) U
C) La
D) Th

Question 9

The loss of a neutron by a radioactive nuclide causes ________.

A) no change in mass number
B) the atomic number to decrease by 4
C) the mass number to decrease
D) the atomic number to decrease by 2

Question 10

A(n) ________ can be considered as the combination of a proton and an electron.

A) alpha particle
B) neutron
C) beta particle
D) gamma ray

Question 11

What is X in the balanced nuclear equation below?
+ $\rightarrow$ X +

A)
B)
C)
D)

Question 12

What radioactive particle is missing in the following nuclear reaction?
$\rightarrow$ + ______

A)
B)
C)
D)

Question 13

Strontium-83 has a half life of 32 hours. What fraction of a 10 mg sample of ⁸³Sr will be left after 96 hours?

A) 50%
B) 25%
C) 12.5%
D) 6.25%

Question 14

Which is an example of a beta emission reaction?

A) $\rightarrow$ +
B) + $\rightarrow$
C) + $\rightarrow$ +
D) + $\rightarrow$ + +4

Question 15

Which is an example of beta particle bombardment?

A) $\rightarrow$ +
B) + $\rightarrow$
C) + $\rightarrow$ +
D) + $\rightarrow$ + + 4

Question 16

Californium-251 undergoes ________ to produce curium-247.
$\rightarrow$ + _____

A) gamma-ray emission
B) beta-particle decay
C) positron decay
D) alpha-particle decay

Question 17

After 4 half lives have elapsed, the amount of a radioactive sample which has not decayed is ________.

A) 1/4 the original amount
B) 1/8 the original amount
C) 1/16 the original amount
D) 1/2 the original amount

Question 18

The amount of a radioisotope that remains after two half-lives have passed is:

A) 98%
B) 75%
C) 50%
D) 25%

Question 19

The half-life of is 5.2 years. This means that after 5.2 years a sample of ________.

A) breaks in half
B) turns into
C) has a 50% chance of exploding
D) contains one-half as many atoms as originally

Question 20

The half-life of a radionuclide is 26.4 years. The time required for a 48-gram sample of this nuclide to decay to 1.50 grams is ________.

A) 132 years
B) 106 years
C) 158 years
D) 79 years

Question 21

The half-life of a radionuclide is dependent on the radionuclide's ________.

A) temperature
B) concentration
C) identity
D) state of chemical combination

Question 22

The half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years. What is the approximate age of a fossil with a carbon-14 ratio to carbon 1/64 that of a living organism of the same species?

A) 28,650 years
B) 5730 years
C) 34,380 years
D) 17,190 years

Question 23

The half life of a radionuclide is 12.0 minutes. The time required for all except 1.25 grams of a 20.0 g sample of this nuclide to decay is ________.

A) 12.0 minutes
B) 60.0 minutes
C) 36.0 minutes
D) 48.0 minutes

Question 24

Determine the half-life of a radionuclide if after 48 hours the fraction of undecayed nuclides present is 1/8.

A) 16 hours
B) 12 hours
C) 6 hours
D) 8 hours

Question 25

The particles collided with target nuclei during a bombardment reaction are ________.

A) small and traveling very fast
B) small and traveling slow
C) large and traveling very fast
D) large and traveling slow

Question 26

The bombardment of with nuclei gives two products, one of which is . The other product is ________.

A)
B)
C)
D)

Question 27

In a bombardment reaction using a neutron as the bombarding particle, the products are nuclei and an alpha particle. Which of the following is the target nucleus for this reaction?

A)
B)
C)
D)

Question 28

Which of the following statements about synthetically produced radionuclides is incorrect?

A) Synthetic radionuclides now outnumber naturally occurring radionuclides by a 7 to 1 ratio.
B) At least one synthetic radionuclide of every naturally occurring element has been produced.
C) The mode of decay for synthetic radionuclides is always positron emission or electron capture.
D) Significant uses in the field of medicine exist for many synthetic radionuclides.

Question 29

What is the material, X, in the nuclear bombardment process below?
+ $\rightarrow$ X + 4

A)
B)
C)
D)

Question 30

Bombardment of cadmium-113 with a(n) ________ produces cadmium-114 and a gamma ray.

A) positron
B) beta particle
C) neutron
D) alpha particle

Question 31

The bombardment of ²³Na with a ²H nuclei gives two products, one of which is hydrogen. The other product is:
+ $\rightarrow$ + _____

A)
B)
C)
D)

Question 32

A positron is produced in a nucleus by conversion of a ________.

A) proton to a neutron
B) neutron to a proton
C) proton to an electron
D) neutron to an electron

Question 33

The radioactive decay of to is an example of ________.

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

Question 34

Phosphorus-30 undergoes a radioactive decay process involving ________ emission to produce silicon-30.
$\rightarrow$ _____ +

A) alpha-particle
B) positron
C) beta-particle
D) gamma-ray

Question 35

Before positron emission the n/p ratio of a radionuclide is 69/55. After the emission it will be ________.

A) 70/54
B) 71/55
C) 70/56
D) 69/54

Question 36

In a stable heavy nucleus the neutron to proton ratio would be approximately ________.

A) 6 to 4
B) 4 to 3
C) 3 to 1
D) 1 to 2

Question 37

Radionuclides which have too low of a neutron/proton ratio generally decay through ________.

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

Question 38

Calculate the neutron-to-proton ratio after beta decay of nickel-65.

A) 2.24
B) 2.32
C) 1.24
D) 0.81

Question 39

Indicate the missing words in the following statement: "A natural decay series always starts with a ________ radionuclide and ends with a ________."

A) short-lived; stable nuclide
B) short-lived; long-lived radionuclide
C) long-lived; stable nuclide
D) long-lived; short-lived radionuclide

Question 40

In the uranium-238 decay series, the first four decay processes are alpha decay followed by two successive beta decays followed by another alpha decay. What is the intermediate product produced after these decay processes?

A) ²³⁴Pa
B) ²²⁶Ra
C) ²³⁰Th
D) ²³⁴U

Question 41

Which stable element is at the end of the uranium decay series?

A) thorium
B) uranium
C) radon
D) lead

Question 42

Alpha and beta particles and gamma rays are called ionizing radiation because, as they travel through matter, they ________.

A) attract ions
B) repel ions
C) knock electrons off atoms or molecules in their path
D) decay into ions

Question 43

Paper acts as a shield against ________.

A) alpha particles
B) beta particles
C) gamma rays
D) both alpha particles and beta particles

Question 44

The major source of low-level radiation exposure for the "average person" is ________.

A) radon seepage
B) nuclear power production
C) fallout from weapons testing
D) medical and dental uses

Question 45

Which is not a criteria for selecting radionuclides for diagnostic procedures? The radionuclide must ________.

A) have a long half life
B) be detectable by instrumentation outside the body
C) have a known mechanism for elimination from the body
D) be able to be selectively transmitted to the part or system of the body that is to be studied

Question 46

The radionuclide that serves as an external source of radiation for the treatment of cancer is ________.

A) iodine-131
B) sodium-24
C) cobalt-60
D) iron-59

Question 47

Which of the following nuclides will undergo nuclear fission when bombarded with neutrons?

A)
B)
C)
D)

Question 48

In nuclear power plants, ________.

A) the fission process is used to generate steam to turn a turbine to produce electricity
B) uranium atoms are changed directly into electrical energy
C) steam is produced by passing water directly over a radioactive material
D) the principles of operation are very different from those for a coal-fired plant

Question 49

Which of the following is an example of natural radioactivity?

A) + $\rightarrow$ +
B) $\rightarrow$ +
C) + $\rightarrow$ + + 4
D) + $\rightarrow$ +

Question 50

Which of the following is a fission reaction?

A) + $\rightarrow$ +
B) $\rightarrow$ +
C) + $\rightarrow$ + + 4
D) + $\rightarrow$ +

Question 51

Which is an example of a fusion reaction?

A) $\rightarrow$ +
B) + $\rightarrow$
C) + $\rightarrow$ +
D) + $\rightarrow$ + + 2

Question 52

The fusion reaction that supplies the energy of the hydrogen bomb is:

A) + $\rightarrow$ +
B) + $\rightarrow$ + + 3
C) + $\rightarrow$ +
D) $\rightarrow$ +

Question 53

Which of the following statements is false?

A) The reaction below is an example of a fission reaction. + $\rightarrow$ + + + 3
B) Neutrons are required to begin a fission process.
C) The reaction below is an example of a fusion reaction. + $\rightarrow$ +
D) Extremely low temperatures are required to begin a fusion process.

Question 54

Which response contains all of the following that are characteristics of nuclear fusion, and no others?
I. Large quantities of energy are released in the process.
II. The process is used to produce some electricity in the United States.
III. Transmutation of elements occurs.
IV. An example of this process occurs on the Sun.
V. Neutrons are required to initiate the process.

A) I, III, and IV
B) I and IV
C) II, III, and V
D) I, II, and IV

Question 55

Nuclear processes differ from chemical processes in that nuclear processes ________.

A) are never spontaneous
B) produce smaller amounts of energy
C) cause some elements to change their identities
D) always require 2 reactants

Question 56

Write a balanced nuclear equation for the alpha-particle decay of a ¹³⁸Xe isotope.

Question 57

Write a balanced nuclear equation for the beta-particle decay of a ²¹¹Bi isotope.

Question 58

Write a nuclear equation for the bombardment of a radionuclide with an alpha-particle which produces curium-242 and one neutron.

Question 59

Complete the following nuclear reactions:
- → + ________

Question 60

Complete the following nuclear reactions:
- + → ________ +

Question 61

Complete the following nuclear reactions:
- → + ________

Question 62

Complete the following nuclear reactions:
- + →________ + + 3

Question 63

Complete the following nuclear reactions:
-________ → +

Question 64

What is the intermediate product produced after the first three decays of ²²³Fr?
²³³Fr → beta → alpha → alpha → ?

Question 65

Write a nuclear equation for the following processes:
-Bismuth-214 undergoes beta decay

Question 66

Write a nuclear equation for the following processes:
-Thorium-230 decays to the radium-226 isotope

Question 67

Indicate whether each of the following is a fission reaction, a fusion reaction, or neither a fission or fusion reaction.

- + $\rightarrow$ + + 3 ____________________

A) fission
B) neither
C) fusion

Question 68

Indicate whether each of the following is a fission reaction, a fusion reaction, or neither a fission or fusion reaction.

- $\rightarrow$ + ____________________

A) fission
B) neither
C) fusion

Question 69

Indicate whether each of the following is a fission reaction, a fusion reaction, or neither a fission or fusion reaction.

- + $\rightarrow$ + ____________________

A) fission
B) neither
C) fusion