Deck 4: Nuclear Chemistry

Question 1

The process in which a nucleus spontaneously breaks down by emitting radiation is known as

A) transmutation.
B) transformation.
C) fusion.
D) a chain reaction.
E) radioactive decay.

Answer 1

radioactive decay.

Question 2

When a positron is emitted from the nucleus of an atom, the nuclear mass

A) increases by two units.
B) decreases by one unit.
C) increases by one unit.
D) decreases by two units.
E) remains the same.

Answer 2

remains the same.

Question 3

Which is NOT a way to minimize your exposure to radiation?

A) wearing a lead apron
B) keeping a good distance
C) standing behind a thick concrete wall
D) wearing lead-lined gloves
E) staying a longer time

Answer 3

staying a longer time

Question 4

For 85
38 Sr, there are

A) 85 protons and 38 neutrons.
B) 47 protons and 38 neutrons.
C) 38 protons and 47 neutrons.
D) 38 protons and 85 neutrons.
E) 85 protons and 47 neutrons.

Question 5

The nuclear reaction shown below is an example of what type of process?
224
90 Th ? 220
88 Rn + 4
2 He

A) fusion
B) fission
C) translation
D) alpha emission
E) beta emission

Question 6

When a gamma ray is emitted from the nucleus of an atom, the nuclear mass

A) increases by two units.
B) decreases by one unit.
C) increases by one unit.
D) decreases by two units.
E) remains the same.

Question 7

The damaging effects of radiation on the body are a result of

A) the formation of unstable ions or radicals.
B) the formation of radioactive atoms in the body.
C) transmutation reactions in the body.
D) extensive damage to nerve cells.
E) the production of radioactive sodium ions in the body.

Question 8

Which of the following is suitable as a minimum shielding for beta particles?

A) air
B) 1 m of water
C) gloves
D) 1 m of concrete
E) 1 cm of lead

Question 9

A positron is a particle emitted from the nucleus that has the same mass as a(n)

A) electron but has a positive charge.
B) neutron but has a positive charge.
C) alpha particle.
D) beta particle.
E) proton emitted from the nucleus.

Question 10

Gamma rays require the heaviest shielding of all the common types of nuclear radiation because gamma rays have the

A) highest energy.
B) most intense color.
C) lowest energy.
D) largest particles.
E) heaviest particles.

Question 11

Which of the following types of radiation has the highest energy?

A) α-particles
B) β-particles
C) γ-rays
D) visible light
E) All of these have the same energy.

Question 12

In the nuclear equation of a beta emitter,

A) the new nucleus contains 2 fewer protons.
B) the new nucleus contains 2 more protons.
C) the mass number of the new nucleus is 4 less than that of the original nucleus.
D) the new nucleus contains 1 more proton.
E) the new nucleus contains 1 less proton.

Question 13

When an alpha particle is emitted from the nucleus of an atom, the nuclear mass

A) increases by two units.
B) decreases by four units.
C) increases by one unit.
D) decreases by two units.
E) remains the same.

Question 14

The nuclear symbol of helium, 4
2 He, is also the symbol for designating a(n)

A) proton.
B) neutron.
C) gamma ray.
D) beta particle.
E) alpha particle.

Question 15

The symbol 0
+1 e is a symbol used for a(n)

A) proton.
B) positron.
C) gamma ray.
D) beta particle.
E) alpha particle.

Question 16

What is the nuclear symbol for a radioactive isotope of copper with a mass number of 60?

A) 60
29 Cu
B) 29
60 Cu
C) 29Cu
D) 60
31 Cu
E) 31
29 Cu

Question 17

The symbol 0
-1 e is a symbol used for a(n)

A) proton.
B) neutron.
C) gamma ray.
D) beta particle.
E) alpha particle.

Question 18

If absorbed internally, alpha particle emitters are the most damaging because alpha particles

A) have the largest charge.
B) have the greatest energy.
C) have the greatest mass.
D) consist of high energy electrons.
E) consist of pure energy.

Question 19

A nuclear equation is balanced when

A) the same elements are found on both sides of the equation.
B) the sum of the mass numbers and the sum of the atomic numbers of the particles and atoms are the same on both sides of the equation.
C) the same particles and atoms are on both sides of the equation.
D) different particles and atoms are on both sides of the equation.
E) the charges of the particles and atoms are the same on both sides of the equation.

Question 20

The product from the alpha decay of
235
92
U is

A)
235
93
Np.
B) 239
94 Pu.
C) 231
90 Th.
D) 233
80 Ra.
E)
236
92
U.

Question 21

A patient receives 10 mrads of gamma radiation. If the factor that adjusts for biological damage for for gamma radiation is 1, how many mrems did the patient receive?

A) 2 mrem
B) 5 mrem
C) 10 mrem
D) 20 mrem
E) 200 mrem

Question 22

The recommended dosage of I-131 for a test is 4.2 microcuries per kg of body weight. How many millicuries should be given to a 55 kg patient? (1 mCi = 1000 μCi)

A) 230 millicuries
B) 0.23 millicuries
C) 0.076 millicuries
D) 760 millicuries
E) 13.8 millicuries

Question 23

What is the radioactive particle released in the following nuclear equation?
90
38 Sr ? 90
39 Y + ?

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

Question 24

What is the radioactive particle released in the following nuclear equation? 159
74 W ? 155
72 Hf + ?

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

Question 25

A patient receives 4.2 × 103 mrads of iodine-131, which emits β-particles. If the factor that adjusts for biological damage is 1 for β-particles, how many rems did the patient receive?

A) 4
B) 0.4
C) 0.3
D) 2
E) 40

Question 26

A person begins to suffer radiation sickness at an exposure level of

A) 25 rem.
B) 5 rem.
C) 500 rem.
D) 100 rem.
E) 600 rem.

Question 27

A sample of cerium-141 for a diagnostic test was dissolved in saline solution to an activity of 4.5 millicuries/mL. If the patient undergoing the test needs a dose of 10. millicuries, how much of the solution should be injected into the patient?

A) 45 mL
B) 45 mL.
C) 2.2 mL
D) 22 mL
E) 4.5 mL

Question 28

Nitrogen-17 is a beta emitter. What is the isotope produced in the radioactive decay?

A) 18
6 C
B) 13
5 B
C) 18
7 N
D) 13
9 F
E) 17
8 O

Question 29

When aluminum-27 is bombarded with a neutron, a gamma ray is emitted. What radioactive isotope is produced?

A) silicon-27
B) silicon-28
C) aluminum-28
D) magnesium-27
E) magnesium-28

Question 30

Gamma rays may be detected using

A) a Geiger counter.
B) a film badge.
C) X-ray film.
D) all of the above devices.
E) none of the above devices.

Question 31

What is missing in the nuclear reaction shown below?

10
5
B + 4
2 He ? _____ + 1
0 n

A) a neutron
B) 13
7 B
C) 14
7 N
D) 13
7 N
E) 13
5 N

Question 32

The unit used to measure the amount of radiation absorbed by a gram of material is called then

A) rad.
B) RBE.
C) curie.
D) rem.
E) MPD.

Question 33

The nuclear reaction
126
50
Sn ?
126
51
Sb + ? is an example of

A) fusion.
B) fission.
C) translation.
D) alpha emission.
E) beta emission.

Question 34

What is missing in the nuclear reaction shown below?

10
5
B + 4
2 He ? 13
7 N + _____

A) gamma radiation
B) a positron
C) a neutron
D) an alpha particle
E) a beta particle

Question 35

A sample of technetium-99m has an activity of 1.5 Ci. How many disintegrations occur in the technetium-99m sample in 5.0 sec?

A) 5.6 × 1011
B) 2.8 × 1011
C) 1.1 × 1010
D) 7.5
E) 2.0 × 10-10

Question 36

Why is it important that radioisotopes used in diagnostic tests have short half-lives?

A) These radioisotopes have a greater activity so they are easier to monitor.
B) This minimizes the harmful side effects of the radiation.
C) This is necessary so the radioisotopes will have high energy.
D) These radioisotopes are less expensive.
E) These radioisotopes are more abundant in nature.

Question 37

What is the radiation particle used in the bombardment of nitrogen-14?

14
7 N + ? ? 14
6 C +
1
1
H

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

Question 38

What is missing in the nuclear reaction shown below?
66
30 Zn +
1
1
p ? _____

A) a proton
B) 67
31 Ga
C) 66
31 Ga
D) 67
31 Zn
E) 65
29 Cu

Question 39

Iodine-131 decays by beta emission to

A) iodine-132.
B) tellurium-131.
C) iodine-130
D) bromine-131
E) xenon-131.

Question 40

Radium-226 decays by alpha emission to

A) barium-131.
B) cobalt-60.
C) carbon-14.
D) polonium-218.
E) radon-222.

Question 41

The half-life of bromine-74 is 25 min. How much of a 4.0 mg sample is still active after 75 min?

A) 0.50 mg
B) 1.0 mg
C) 2.0 mg
D) 0.25 mg
E) 4.0 mg

Question 42

The radiation dose required to produce death in one-half of the exposed subject animals is termed the __________.

Question 43

When an atom of uranium-235 is bombarded with neutrons, it splits into smaller nuclei and produces a great amount of energy. This nuclear process is called

A) fission.
B) fusion.
C) decomposition.
D) chain reaction.
E) ionization.

Question 44

Sr → __________ + e + energy

Question 45

Krypton-79 has a half-life of 35 hours. How many half-lives have passed after 105 hours?

A) 1 half-life
B) 2 half-lives
C) 3 half-lives
D) 4 half-lives
E) 5 half-lives

Question 46

Tc → Tc + __________

Question 47

In the Sun, nuclei of hydrogen combine to form a larger nucleus and release a great amount of energy. The process is known as

A) fission.
B) fusion.
C) metathesis.
D) chain reaction.
E) ionization.

Question 48

The half-life of a radioisotope is

A) one-half of the time it takes for the radioisotope to completely decay to a nonradioactive isotope.
B) the time it takes for the radioisotope to become an isotope with one-half of the atomic weight of the original radioisotope.
C) the time it takes for the radioisotope to become an isotope with one-half the atomic number of the original radioisotope.
D) the time it takes for the radioisotope to lose one-half of its neutrons.
E) the time it takes for one-half of the sample to decay.

Question 49

A patient receives 3.0 mL of a solution containing technetium-99m for a breast image. If the activity of the technetium-99m is 9.5 mCi/mL, what is the dose received by the patient?

A) 3.2 mCi
B) 29 mCi
C) 320 μCi
D) 9.5 mCi
E) 28.5 mCi

Question 50

The most widely used medical isotope in nuclear medicine is

A) Tc-99m.
B) I-131.
C) P-32.
D) I-125.
E) Co-60.

Question 51

U + n → __________ + Kr + 3 n + energy

Question 52

A wooden object from a prehistoric site has a carbon-14 activity of 10 counts per minute (cpm) compared to 40 cpm for new wood. If carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years, what is the age of the wood?

A) 1430 yr
B) 5730 yr
C) 11,500 yr
D) 17,200 yr
E) 22,900 yr

Question 53

One symbol for the β particle is β. Another symbol for the same particle is __________.

Question 54

An imaging technique in which a computer monitors the degree of absorption of X-ray beams is known as

A) positron emission tomography (PET).
B) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
C) computerized tomography (CT).
D) radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU).
E) a scan.

Question 55

Sodium-24 has a half-life of 15 hours. How many hours is three half-lives?

A) 60 hours
B) 45 hours
C) 30 hours
D) 15 hours
E) 7.5 hours

Question 56

Iodine-123, which is used for diagnostic imaging in the thyroid, has a half-life of 13 hours. If 50.0 mg of I-123 were prepared at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, how many mg remain at 10:00 a.m. on the following day?

A) 50.0 mg
B) 25.0 mg
C) 12.5 mg
D) 6.25 mg
E) 3.13 mg

Question 57

An imaging technique that detects the energy emitted by hydrogen atoms in a magnetic field is known as

A) positron emission tomography (PET).
B) computerized tomography (CT).
C) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
D) radioactive tracer study.
E) supermagnetic tomography (SMT).

Question 58

The dosage of technetium-99m for myocardial imaging is 280 μCi/kg of body weight. How many mCi should be given to a patient weighing 65 kg? (1 mCi = 1000 μCi)

A) 0.0043 mCi
B) 4.3 mCi
C) 18 mCi
D) 230 mCi
E) 1.8 × 10⁴ mCi

Question 59

One symptom of mild radiation sickness is

A) a lowered white cell count.
B) a raised white cell count.
C) a lowered red blood cell count.
D) a raised red blood cell count.
E) a white cell count of zero.

Question 60

A sample of phosphorus-32 with an activity of 2.0 mCi produces __________ disintegrations per second. (1 Ci = 3.7 × 10¹⁰ disintegration/sec).

Question 61

One mCi of a radioactive substance emits more radiation than one μCi of the same substance.

Question 62

The radioisotope used as a diagnostic tool to measure thyroid function is __________.

Question 63

Irradiated food contains small amounts of added radioactive isotopes.

Question 64

Nuclear fission as used in nuclear power plants produces radioactive waste with long half-lives.

Question 65

The process by which a large nucleus breaks into smaller pieces, releasing large amounts of energy is called nuclear __________.

Question 66

If the half-life of hydrogen-3 is 11.8 years, after two half-lives the radioactivity of a sample will be reduced to one-half of the original amount.

Question 67

A beta particle is emmited when Co-60 decays to Fe-60.

Question 68

Medical radioisotopes used for diagnostic purposes typically have short half-lives.

Question 69

The common unit of radioactivity which is used to measure the biological damage is the __________.

Question 70

Nuclear fusion does not occur naturally.

Question 71

Exposure to radiation is unavoidable because some radioactive elements occur naturally.

Question 72

The correct symbol for hydrogen-3 is 3
2 He.

Question 73

One type of radiation that is not usually used for medical procedures is the cosmic ray.

Question 74

One symptom of radiation sickness is an increased production of red blood cells. (4,3)

Question 75

The production of nitrogen-13 and a neutron from boron-10 by bombardment with a helium-4 nucleus is an example of radioactive decay.

Question 76

Irradiation of food for sterilization is usually carried out using gamma irradiation.

Question 77

The diagnostic imaging technique that depends on magnetic fields and radio waves, not radioactivity, is called __________.

Question 78

The time needed for a radioactive sample to decay to one-half of its original activity is called the __________.

Question 79

An alpha particle is emitted when Am-241 decays to Np-237.

Question 80

Indicate whether each of the following is characteristic of the fission or fusion process.
A large nucleus is split into smaller nuclei.

A)both fission and fusion
B)fusion
C)fission