Deck 16: Nuclear Chemistry

Question 1

The only element whose most stable isotope has n/p < 1 is ________.

A) hydrogen
B) carbon
C) oxygen
D) helium

Answer 1

hydrogen

Question 2

Which of the following particles has a mass number of 1?

A) proton
B) neutron
C) helium
D) both A and B

Answer 2

both A and B

Question 3

Which of the following particles is a nucleon?

A) proton
B) electron
C) positron
D) both A and B

Answer 3

proton

Question 4

How long will it take for a 5.0 g tritium sample to decay down to 0.313 g? The half-life of tritium is 12 years.

A) 12 yrs
B) 24 yrs
C) 48 yrs
D) 96 yrs

Question 5

Which of the following half-lives is the most stable for an isotope?

A) 0.015 hr
B) 0.92 min
C) 56 s
D) 72 s

Question 6

Which of the following does not carry proton(s)?

A) 1H
B) alpha rays
C) deuterium
D) gamma-rays

Question 7

An alpha particle may be represented by ________.

A) e
B) 1n
C) 4He
D) 1H

Question 8

Which of the following does not carry neutrons?

A) 1n
B) alpha rays
C) 1H
D) deuterium

Question 9

Heavy water is ________.

A) water that contains cations such as magnesium, ferric and calcium
B) water whose hydrogens are deuterium
C) water whose hydrogens carry one neutron
D) both B and C

Question 10

Which of the following is the easiest to block from penetrating?

A) alpha emissions
B) beta emissions
C) neutrons
D) gamma rays

Question 11

Which of the following half-lives is the most stable for an isotope?

A) 0.001 s
B) 0.92 s
C) 56 s
D) 72 s

Question 12

16O, 17O and 18O are ________ of oxygen.

A) isotopes
B) isomers
C) isobars
D) none of the above

Question 13

Which of the following has an atomic number of 0?

A) proton
B) neutron
C) positron
D) deuterium

Question 14

Isotopes have ________.

A) the same number of protons but different number of neutrons
B) the same number of neutrons but different number of protons
C) the same number protons and the same number of neutrons
D) different number protons and neutrons

Question 15

Mass defect is ________.

A) the amount of mass that is converted to energy during a nuclear reaction
B) the amount of mass produced during a nuclear reaction
C) the amount of energy released when an atom forms from its subatomic particles
D) the amount of energy absorbed when an atom forms from its subatomic particles

Question 16

Which of the following does not have an atomic number of 1?

A) proton
B) neutron
C) electron
D) deuterium

Question 17

An beta particle may be represented by ________.

A) e
B) 1n
C) 4He
D) 1H

Question 18

If the half-life of an isotope is 5 hr, the amount of 20.0 g remaining after 15 hr will be ________.

A) 2.5 g
B) 5.0 g
C) 6.67 g
D) 10.0 g

Question 19

Binding energy is ________.

A) the amount of mass that is converted to energy during a nuclear reaction
B) the amount of mass produced during a nuclear reaction
C) the amount of energy released when an atom forms from its subatomic particles
D) the amount of energy absorbed when an atom forms from its subatomic particles

Question 20

The n/p ratio is greater than 1 for stable isotopes, when the atomic number is larger than ________.

A) 10
B) 18
C) 20
D) 24

Question 21

Which is the lightest among the following particles?

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

Question 22

When nickel-63 is converted to copper-63 ________.

A) an electron is captured
B) an alpha particle is emitted
C) an electron is released
D) a neutron is released

Question 23

When a neutron is transformed into a proton what else is emitted?

A) a beta particle
B) a gamma particle
C) an alpha particle
D) None of the above.

Question 24

Identify X in the reaction below. 238U + 12C → 244Cf + X

A) 6 electrons
B) 1 alpha particle
C) 3 protons
D) 6 neutrons

Question 25

Which of the following particles is the heaviest?

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

Question 26

When an unstable nucleus emits a beta particle ________.

A) its mass number is decreased by four units
B) its atomic number is decreased by two units
C) its atomic number is increased by one unit
D) its mass number is decreased by one unit

Question 27

When an unstable nucleus expels a positron ________.

A) its mass number is decreased by four units
B) its atomic number is decreased by one unit
C) its atomic number is increased by one unit
D) its mass number is decreased by one unit

Question 28

Identify X in the reaction below. 27Al + 4He → X + 1n

A) 31P
B) 30P
C) 30S
D) 31Si

Question 29

Which of the following is able to penetrate the easiest through human tissue?

A) alpha rays
B) beta rays
C) neutrons
D) gamma rays

Question 30

What is the missing particle in the reaction below? ? + 6Li → 2 4He (alpha particles)

A) 3H
B) 1H
C) 2H
D) 4He

Question 31

An gamma particle may be represented by ________.

A) e
B) e
C) γ
D) γ

Question 32

Which of the following is not a beta emitting reaction?

A) 231Th → 231Pa
B) 131I → 131Xe
C) 90Sr → 90Y
D) 226Ra → 222Rn

Question 33

The process below is an example of ________. 238U → 234Th + 4He

A) alpha emission
B) beta emission
C) gamma emission
D) neutron emission

Question 34

The mercury-197 to gold-197 conversion is accompanied by ________.

A) an electron capture
B) an electron release
C) an alpha emission
D) a neutron capture

Question 35

When an unstable nucleus emits an alpha particle ________.

A) its mass number is decreased by four units
B) its atomic number is decreased by one unit
C) its atomic number is increased by one unit
D) its mass number is decreased by one unit

Question 36

Which of the following transformations is not an alpha emission?

A) 14C → 14N
B) 225Ac → 221Fr
C) 241Am → 237Np
D) 208Po → 204Pb

Question 37

When radium-226 is converted to radon-222 ________.

A) an electron is captured
B) an alpha particle is emitted
C) an electron is released
D) a neutron is released

Question 38

What is the missing particle in the reaction below? 1p + 0e →?

A) 2p
B) 1H
C) 1n
D) 4He

Question 39

Which of the following transformations is not an electron capture?

A) 201Hg → 201Au
B) 81Rb → 81Kr
C) 231Th → 231Pa
D) p → n

Question 40

When carbon-14 is converted to nitrogen-14 ________.

A) an electron is captured
B) an alpha particle is emitted
C) an electron is released
D) a neutron is released

Question 41

40Ar, 40K and 40Ca are isotopes.

Question 42

The daughter isotope of 203Po when it undergoes alpha-emission is 207Pb.

Question 43

An electron is an example of a nucleon.

Question 44

The half-life of an isotope decreases as the initial concentration decreases.

Question 45

The atomic number of a neutron is 1.

Question 46

35Cl and 37Cl are isotopes.

Question 47

Both the proton and neutron have the same mass number.

Question 48

The n/p > 1 ratio appears in elements whose atomic number is greater than 24.

Question 49

A beta particle has a -1 charge.

Question 50

Identify X in the reaction below. X + 1n → 142Ba + 91Kr + 3 1n

A) 235Th
B) 238U
C) 235U
D) 234Pa

Question 51

The reaction below is an example of ________. 12C + 12C → 24Mg

A) fission
B) fusion
C) isotope coupling
D) transmutation

Question 52

A nuclear reaction involves much higher energies than a chemical reaction.

Question 53

The larger the half-life value, the more stable the isotope.

Question 54

12C is the most stable carbon isotope.

Question 55

The main problem that nuclear reactors have when uranium-235 serves as the fuel is ________.

A) the production of more neutrons that the reaction consumes
B) the production of gamma rays
C) the consumption of more alpha particles than the available alpha particles
D) the immense amount of energy produced

Question 56

Nuclear radiation is harmful because of ________.

A) the high energy particles produced
B) the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a nucleus during the nuclear change
C) the ionizing of biological molecules
D) all of the above

Question 57

The reaction below is an example of ________. 230U → 139Ba + 89Kr + 2 1n

A) fission
B) fusion
C) isotope
D) transmutation

Question 58

An alpha particle is neutral.

Question 59

Isotopes with the lowest possible n/p ratio are usually the most stable.

Question 60

The daughter isotope of 200Hg when it undergoes alpha-emission is 196Pt.

Question 61

Uranium-238 can capture a neutron inside a nuclear reactor (a so-called breeder reactor), producing an isotope of plutonium and two beta particles. The plutonium can then itself be used as a nuclear fuel. Write a balanced equation for the breeder reactor's production of plutonium (include isotope number) from uranium-238.

Question 62

During the MRI procedure the human is placed in a magnetic field and radio waves are used to probe certain nuclei in the body.

Question 63

Calculate the binding energy of oxygen-16 in J/mol. This isotope has an atomic mass of 15.9949 g/mol.

Question 64

What is the mass defect of the carbon-14 isotope (in g/mol)? Carbon-14 has an atomic mass of 14.0032 g/mol.

Question 65

For the following nuclear reactions, supply the missing isotope, or elementary particle.
14N + 4He → ________ + 1H

Question 66

The half life of 14C is 5,715 years.

Question 67

For the following nuclear reactions, supply the missing isotope, or elementary particle.
22Na → ________ + +1e

Question 68

Fusion reactors of the future hope to make use of the following reaction:
2H + 3H → 4He + 1n
How much energy is released in this process (in J/mol)?
(2H = 2.0141 g/mol; 3H = 3.0160 g/mol; 4He = 4.0026 g/mol; 1n = 1.00866 g/mol)

Question 69

The daughter isotope of 210Po when it undergoes beta-emission is 210At.

Question 70

Calculate the binding energy of neon-22 in J/mol. This isotope has an atomic mass of 21.9914 g/mol.

Question 71

13C is the carbon isotope used for radioactive carbon dating.

Question 72

A fusion reaction creates more energy than a fission reaction.

Question 73

Nuclear radiation can cause biological damage by the weakening or breaking of bonds.

Question 74

What is the mass defect of the lithium-9 isotope in g/mol? Lithium-9 has an atomic mass of 9.0273 g/mol.

Question 75

The half-life of chlorine-34 is 1.52 seconds. How much time will pass before a given sample of chlorine-34 decays by 60%?

Question 76

For the following nuclear reactions, supply the missing isotope, or elementary particle.
________ → 226Rn + 4He

Question 77

If nuclear energy is released all at once, a nuclear bomb can be created.

Question 78

Many radioactive nuclei release energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation, such as gamma rays.

Question 79

A fission reaction is always endothermic.

Question 80

Calculate the amount of energy released when this nuclear reaction occurs inside an atomic warhead:
1n + 235U → 137Te + 97Zr + 2 1n
(235U = 235.0439 g/mol; 137Te = 136.9254 g/mol; 97Zr = 96.9110 g/mol; 1n = 1.00866 g/mol)