²¹⁰Pb has a half-life of 22.3 years and decays to produce ²⁰⁶Hg. If you start with 7.52 g of ²¹⁰Pb, how many grams of ²⁰⁶Hg will you have after 15.8 years?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The half-life of ²¹⁰Pb is 22.3 years, which means that after 15.8 years, half of the original amount will have decayed. Therefore, after 15.8 years, there will be 3.76 g of ²¹⁰Pb remaining. Since ²¹⁰Pb decays to produce ²⁰⁶Hg, the amount of ²⁰⁶Hg produced will be equal to the amount of ²¹⁰Pb that has decayed. Therefore, after 15.8 years, there will be 3.76 g of ²⁰⁶Hg produced.

210Pb Has a Half-Life of 22

²¹⁰Pb Has a Half-Life of 22