Deck 20: Nuclear Chemistry

Question 1

In the equation below,what particle or type of radiation needs to be included to balance the equation? ²⁰⁸Po → ? + ²⁰⁸At

A)Gamma particle
B)Alpha particle
C)Proton
D)Beta particle
E)Positron

Answer 1

Beta particle

Question 2

Uranium-235 decays by alpha emission.What isotope is also produced by this transformation?

A)Pa-234
B)Th-237
C)Pu-237
D)Th-231
E)Pu-239

Answer 2

Th-231

Question 3

What is the name given to the nuclear process that results from the bombardment of nuclei by neutrons,protons,or other nuclei?

A)Nuclear transmutation
B)Protonation
C)Nucleation
D)Nuclear condensation
E)Radioactivity

Answer 3

Nuclear transmutation

Question 4

Which equation correctly represents electron capture by the nucleus?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 5

In the equation below,what particle or type of radiation needs to be included to balance the equation? ²²⁰Rn → ? + alpha particle

A)Ra-224
B)Rn-224
C)Rn-216
D)At-220
E)Po-216

Question 6

In the equation below,what particle or type of radiation needs to be included to balance the equation? ²³⁴Th → ? + beta particle

A)Ac-234
B)Pa-234
C)Ac-235
D)Pa-235
E)Ac-233

Question 7

Select the nuclide that completes the following nuclear reaction ?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)None of these choices is correct.

Question 8

Which is an incorrect representation of the indicated particle or nucleus?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 9

In the equation below,what particle or type of radiation needs to be included to balance the equation? ²⁰⁸Pb → ? + ²⁰⁴Hg

A)Gamma particle
B)Alpha particle
C)Proton
D)Beta particle
E)Positron

Question 10

When atoms of aluminum-27 are bombarded with alpha particles,a neutron and an element are produced.Which particular isotope of this element is formed?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 11

As a result of beta decay,the product nucleus is

A)one atomic number lower than the original element.
B)two atomic numbers higher than the original element.
C)one atomic number higher than the original element.
D)two atomic numbers lower than the original element.
E)four atomic numbers lower than the original element.

Question 12

A typical radius of an atomic nucleus is about

A)100 μm.
B)5000 mm.
C)100 nm.
D)5 × 10^-3 pm.
E)500 pm.

Question 13

The only stable isotope of aluminum is aluminum-27.What type of radioactive decay should be expected from ?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 14

When atoms of beryllium-9 are bombarded with alpha particles,neutrons are produced.What new isotope is also formed? .

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 15

Beta particles are identical to

A)protons.
B)helium atoms.
C)hydrogen atoms.
D)helium nuclei.
E)electrons.

Question 16

What other particle is emitted when a neutron is converted to a proton in a nucleus?

A)Gamma particle
B)Alpha particle
C)Positron
D)Beta particle
E)None of the answers is correct.

Question 17

What is the name for spontaneous emission of particles or electromagnetic radiation by certain nuclei?

A)Protons
B)Isotopes
C)Radioactivity
D)Neutrons
E)Electrons

Question 18

What is the missing symbol in this plutonium fission reaction?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 19

Which equation correctly represents positron decay of

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 20

Alpha particles are identical to

A)protons.
B)helium atoms.
C)hydrogen atoms.
D)helium nuclei.
E)electrons.

Question 21

Polonium-208 is an alpha emitter with a half-life of 2.90 years.How many milligrams of polonium from an original sample of 2.00 mg will remain after 8.00 years?

A)0.147 mg
B)0.296 mg
C)0.725 mg
D)6.77 mg
E)1.90 mg

Question 22

What is the nuclear binding energy per nucleon for ? (1 kg = 6.022 × 10²⁶ amu;
C = 2.99792458 × 10⁸ m/s)
Particle Mass (amu) 24.985839 1.007276 1.008665

A)0.214 J/nucleon
B)3.20 × 10^-11 J/nucleon
C)1.28 × 10^-12 J/nucleon
D)0.999 J/nucleon
E)7.35 × 10^-11 J/nucleon

Question 23

Cobalt-60 is a beta emitter with a half-life of 5.3 years.Approximately what fraction of cobalt-60 atoms will remain in a particular sample after 26.5 years?

A)1/5
B)1/16
C)1/26
D)1/32
E)1/64

Question 24

A rock contains 0.37 mg of Pb-206 and 0.95 mg of U-238.Approximately how many U-238 atoms were in the rock when it was formed billions of years ago? (The half life for ²³⁸U → ²⁰⁶Pb is 4.51 × 10⁹ yr.)

A)1.32 atoms
B)5.8 × 10^-6 atoms
C)2.4 × 10¹⁸ atoms
D)3.3 × 10¹⁸ atoms
E)3.5 × 10²¹ atoms

Question 25

A mass of 6.02 × 10²⁶ amu is equivalent to

A)1 J.
B)1 kg.
C)1 g.
D)1 mol.
E)1 mg.

Question 26

An isotope with a high value of N/Z will tend to decay through

A)α decay.
B)β decay.
C)positron decay.
D)electron capture.
E)γ decay.

Question 27

Cesium-134 is a β emitter with a half-life of 2.0 years.How much of a 2.50-g sample of cesium-134 will remain after 10 years?

A)0.0024 g
B)0.078 g
C)0.25 g
D)0.50 g
E)80.0 g

Question 28

The ¹⁴C activity of some ancient Peruvian corn was found to be 10 disintegrations per minute per gram of carbon.If present-day plant life shows 15 dpm/g,how old is the Peruvian corn? (The half-life of ¹⁴C is 5730 yr.)

A)1460 yr
B)1910 yr
C)3350 yr
D)3820 yr
E)9080 yr

Question 29

What is the nuclear binding energy per nucleon of uranium-234? Particle
Mass (amu)
U-234
234)040947
Neutron
1)008701
Proton
1)007316
Electron
0)000549
[1 kg = 6.022 × 10²⁶ amu; N_A = 6.022 × 10²³ mol^-1; c = 2.99792458 × 10⁸ m/s]

A)2.75 × 10^-10 J/nucleon
B)3.04 × 10^-10 J/nucleon
C)1.38 × 10^-12 J/nucleon
D)1.27 × 10^-12 J/nucleon
E)1.18 × 10^-12 J/nucleon

Question 30

1 joule equals _____.

A)1 kg • m
B)1 g • m² • s²
C)1 kg • m²/s
D)1 g • m²/s
E)1 kg • m²/s²

Question 31

Charcoal found under a stone at Stonehenge,England,has a carbon-14 activity that is 0.60 that of new wood.How old is the charcoal? (The half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years.)

A)Less than 5730 yr
B)Between 5730 and 11,460 yr
C)Between 11,460 and 17,190 yr
D)More than 17,190 yr

Question 32

Calculate the energy released in joules when one mole of polonium-214 decays according to the following equation. Particle Mass (amu)
Pb-210
209)98284
Po-214
213)99519
He-4
4)00260
(1 kg = 6.022 × 10²⁶ amu;
N_A = 6.022 × 10²³ mol^-1;
C = 2.99792458 × 10⁸ m/s)

A)8.78 × 10¹⁴ J/mol
B)7.2 × 10¹⁴ J/mol
C)8.76 × 10¹¹ J/mol
D)-9.75 × 10^-3 J/mol
E)1.46 × 10^-9 J/mol

Question 33

Iodine-131,t_1/2 = 8.0 days,is used in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid gland diseases.If a laboratory sample of iodine-131 initially emits 9.95 × 10¹⁸ β particles per day,how long will it take for the activity to drop to 6.22 × 10¹⁷ β particles per day?

A)2.0 days
B)16 days
C)32 days
D)128 days
E)None of the answers is correct.

Question 34

The nuclear binding energy per nucleon is defined by which of the following?

A) Nuclear binding energy
# nucleons
B)(Nuclear binding energy)² × (# nucleons)
C) (# nucleons)²
Mol of nucleons
D)(# nucleons)² × (mol of nucleons)
E)None of the answers is correct.

Question 35

The radiochemist,Will I.Glow,studied thorium-232 and found that 2.82 × 10^-7 moles emitted 8.42 × 10⁶ α particles in one year.What is the decay constant for thorium-232?

A)3.35 × 10^-14 yr^-1
B)4.96 × 10^-11 yr^-1
C)1.40 × 10¹⁰ yr^-1
D)2.99 × 10¹³ yr^-1
E)None of the answers is correct.

Question 36

What fraction of radioactive atoms remains in a sample after six half-lives?

A)zero
B)1/6
C)1/16
D)1/32
E)1/64

Question 37

What is the name for the difference between the mass of an atom and the sum of the masses of its constituent nucleons?

A)Gamma particle
B)Alpha particle
C)Mass difference
D)Beta particle
E)Mass defect

Question 38

What is the nuclear binding energy per nucleon of potassium-40? Particle
Mass (amu)
K-40
39)9632591
Neutron
1)008701
Proton
1)007316
Electron
0)000549
(1 kg = 6.022 × 10²⁶ amu;
N_A = 6.022 × 10²³ mol^-1;
C = 2.99792458 × 10⁸ m/s)

A)1.33 × 10^-12 J/nucleon
B)5.33 × 10^-11 J/nucleon
C)5.64 × 10^-11 J/nucleon
D)1.41 × 10^-12 J/nucleon
E)2.97 × 10^-12 J/nucleon

Question 39

Estimate the age of a bottled wine that has a tritium,³H,content 60% that of freshly bottled wine.Tritium decays by beta decay and has a half-life of 12.3 yr.

A)0.029 yr
B)7.4 yr
C)9.1 yr
D)16 yr
E)35 yr

Question 40

What is the energy equivalent of 1 amu? (c = 2.99792458 × 10⁸ m/s)

A)5.0 × 10^-19 J
B)5.4 × 10⁴³ J
C)6.6 × 10⁹ J
D)1.5 × 10^-10 J

Question 41

Identify the missing species in the following nuclear transmutation. .

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)None of the answers is correct.

Question 42

The radioisotope potassium-40 decays to argon-40 by positron emission with a half-life of 1.3 × 10⁹ yr.A sample of moon rock was found to contain 78 argon-40 atoms for every 22 potassium-40 atoms.The age of the rock is

A)8.1 × 10^-10 yr.
B)2.4 × 10⁹ yr.
C)2.8 × 10⁹ yr.
D)4.6 × 10⁹ yr.
E)6.8 × 10⁹ yr

Question 43

Identify the missing species in the following nuclear transmutation.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 44

Identify the missing species in the following nuclear transmutation. U-238 + ? → 1 neutron + Fm-249

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 45

Petroleum is a fossil fuel containing many different carbon compounds.If the carbon atoms in petroleum have been in the ground for 100 million years,what fraction of the initial ¹⁴C atoms is still there? (t_1/2 = 5730 yr)

A)0
B)1 × 10^-10
C)5.7 × 10^-5
D)1.0 × 10^-3
E)5.7 × 10^-1

Question 46

Which of the following materials is put into a nuclear reactor to slow the chain reaction?

A)Heavy water
B)Moderators
C)Control rods
D)Reflectors
E)Chlorine

Question 47

Identify the missing species in the following nuclear transmutation.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 48

In the following reaction,identify X.

A)7β
B)3α
C)4n
D)
E)15p

Question 49

In the following reaction,identify X. .

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 50

Which isotope,when bombarded with bismuth-209,would yield two neutrons and an isotope with atomic number 121 and mass number 299?

A)Pb-211
B)Po-209
C)Sr-92
D)Rn-38
E)Sr-38

Question 51

How many ¹⁴C atoms are in a charcoal sample that has a decay rate of 3500 disintegrations per min? (For ¹⁴C,t_1/2 = 5730 yr.)

A)2.9 × 10⁷ atoms
B)8.0 × 10^-7 atoms
C)1.4 × 10¹⁴ atoms
D)1.5 × 10¹³ atoms
E)6.02 × 10²⁰ atoms

Question 52

Rubidium-87 decays by beta decay with a half-life of 4.9 × 10¹⁰ yr.How many ⁸⁷Rb atoms are in a moon rock sample that has a rubidium decay rate of 3500 disintegrations per hour?

A)9.0 × 10¹⁶ atoms
B)4.3 × 10^-4 atoms
C)2.2 × 10¹⁸ atoms
D)2.5 × 10¹⁴ atoms
E)1.7 × 10¹⁴ atoms

Question 53

Present-day plant life has a carbon-14 decay rate of 16 disintegrations per minute (dpm)per gram of carbon.If a contemporary wooden chair were preserved for the next 3900 years,what ¹⁴C decay rate should be expected from the wood used to make the chair? (t_1/2 = 5730 yr)

A)26 dpm
B)12 dpm
C)11 dpm
D)10 dpm
E)8 dpm

Question 54

A pure sample of tritium,³H,was prepared and sealed in a container for a number of years.Tritium undergoes β decay with a half-life of 12.32 years.How long has the container been sealed if analysis of the contents shows there are 5.25 mol of ³H and 6.35 mol of ³He present?

A)2.34 yr
B)3.38 yr
C)9.77 yr
D)14.1 yr
E)25.6 yr

Question 55

Which isotope,when bombarded with nitrogen-15,yields four neutrons and the artificial isotope dubnium-260?

A)Californium-245
B)Thorium-257
C)Nobelium-245
D)Californium-249
E)Dubnium-249

Question 56

A patient's thyroid gland is to be exposed to an average of 5.5 μCi for 16 days as an ingested sample of iodine-131 decays.If the energy of the β radiation is 9.7 × 10^-14 J and the mass of the thyroid is 32.0 g,what is the dose received by the patient? (1 rad = 1 × 10^-5 J/g; 1 Ci = 3.7 × 10¹⁰ disintegrations/s)

A)0.027 rads
B)85 rads
C)37 rads
D)23 rads
E)None of the answers is correct.

Question 57

The half-life of ¹⁴C is 5730 yr.Assuming some charcoal from a campfire 29,000 years old was found,what fraction of the original C-14 would remain today?

A)3.0 × 10^-2
B)0.20
C)3.5
D)0.33
E)0.29

Question 58

A sample of a radioisotope shows an activity of 999 disintegrations per minute due to beta decay.If after 1.10 years the activity is 952 disintegrations per minute,what is the half-life of this radioisotope?

A)4.38 × 10^-2 yr
B)11.4 yr
C)0.25 yr
D)15.8 yr
E)9.1 yr

Question 59

An 85-kg person exposed to barium-141 receives 2.5 × 10⁵ β particles,each with an energy of 5.2 × 10^-13 J.How many rads does the person receive? (1 rad = 1 × 10^-5 J/g)

A)2.4 × 10^-20 rads
B)1.5 × 10^-7 rads
C)1.8 × 10^-16 rads
D)6.1 × 10^-15 rads
E)None of the answers is correct.

Question 60

The carbon-14 activity of some ancient Indian corn was found to be 7.0 disintegrations per minute (dpm)per gram of carbon.If present-day plant life has 16 dpm per gram of carbon,how old is the Indian corn? (t_1/2 = 5730 yr)

A)6800 yr
B)2500 yr
C)4700 yr
D)10,000 yr
E)7200 yr

Question 61

Which of the following is an advantage of nuclear power plants over coal-burning plants? Nuclear power plants

A)form numerous radioactive fission products.
B)do not pollute the air with SO₂,soot,and fly-ash.
C)produce more thermal pollution than coal plants.
D)use more fuel.

Question 62

What causes the radiation damage to matter when gamma rays damages it?

A)Another isotope
B)Oxidation
C)Reduction
D)Free radicals and ions
E)Corrosion

Question 63

The energy released by the sun is the result of

A)natural radioactivity.
B)nuclear fusion.
C)combustion of hydrogen.
D)photosynthesis.
E)nuclear fission.

Question 64

Which type of nuclear process requires an extremely high temperature (millions of degrees)?

A)Beta decay
B)Fission reaction
C)Fusion reaction
D)Alpha decay
E)Positron emission

Question 65

Which statement is false?

A)Fission occurs among the heaviest isotopes,whereas fusion occurs more readily for light isotopes.
B)The mass defect (Δm)for a fission reaction is negative,whereas Δm for fusion is positive.
C)In order for fusion reactions to occur,temperatures must be in the millions of degrees.
D)The fission of Pu-239 atoms produces isotopes of many different elements.
E)Neutron-induced fission processes can occur at room temperature,rather than at millions of degrees.

Question 66

Which type of radiation is the least dangerous to humans?

A)Positrons
B)Neutrons
C)Alpha
D)Beta
E)Gamma

Question 67

A 55-kg person exposed to thorium-234 receives 7.5 × 10⁴ β particles,each with an energy of 1.6 × 10^-14 J.How many rads does the person receive?

A)2.1 × 10^-19 rads
B)1.2 × 10^-17 rads
C)2.2 × 10^-9 rads
D)1.2 × 10^-9 rads
E)None of these choices is correct.

Question 68

A 30.0-kg child receives 2.65 × 10⁷ β particles,each with an energy of 4.60 × 10^-13 J.If the RBE = 0.78,how many millirem did the child receive?

A)3.2 × 10^-7 millirem
B)5.2 × 10^-7 millirem
C)5.2 × 10^-4 millirem
D)3.2 × 10^-2 millirem
E)None of these choices is correct.

Question 69

What is the nuclear process called in which a heavy nuclear of mass number greater than 200 divides to form smaller nuclei of intermediate mass and one or more neutron(s)?

A)Photonuclear reactions
B)Nuclear fission
C)Thermal conductivity
D)Nuclear combination
E)Nuclear fusion

Question 70

Exposure to 10 nCi for 10 minutes is more hazardous for a child than for an adult because

A)the child's cells are dividing more rapidly than the adult's and are,therefore,more susceptible to the radiation.
B)the child's smaller body size makes the effective dose larger for the child than for the adult.
C)the child's immune system is not developed well enough to resist damage.
D)the child's skin is not as thick as an adult's and cannot block as much radiation.
E)None of these reasons is correct.

Question 71

Which type of radiation is the most dangerous to humans?

A)Protons
B)Neutrons
C)Alpha
D)Beta
E)Gamma

Question 72

What role does cadmium metal (Cd)play in a nuclear reactor?

A)Slows down the fission neutrons (moderator)
B)Transfers heat from the reactor to the heat exchanger (primary coolant)
C)Controls chain reaction (control rods)
D)Transfers heat from the condenser to the environment (cooling tower)
E)Undergoes fission (fuel rods)

Question 73

It is believed that two carbon-12 nuclei can react in the core of a supergiant star to form sodium-23 and hydrogen-1.Calculate the energy released from this reaction for each mole of hydrogen formed. Particle Mass (amu) C-12 12.000000
Na-23 22.989767
H-1 1.007825
(1 kg = 6.022 × 10²⁶ amu;
N_A = 6.022 × 10²³ mol^-1;
C = 2.99792458 × 10⁸ m/s)

A)2.16 × 10¹⁴ kJ
B)2.16 × 10¹¹ kJ
C)2.16 × 10⁸ kJ
D)2.16 × 10⁵ kJ
E)None of the answers is correct.

Question 74

Calcium-39 undergoes positron decay.Each positron carries 5.49 MeV of energy.How much energy will be emitted when 0.00250 mol of calcium-39 decays? (1 MeV = 1.602 × 10^-13 J)

A)13.2 kJ
B)1.32 × 10⁴ kJ
C)1.32 × 10⁶ kJ
D)1.32 × 10⁹ kJ
E)None of these choices is correct.

Question 75

What element is the stable end-product of the uranium radioactive decay series?

A)Th
B)Pu
C)Ra
D)Au
E)Pb

Question 76

What is the nuclear process called where small nuclei are combined into larger ones?

A)Photonuclear reactions
B)Nuclear fission
C)Thermal conductivity
D)Nuclear combination
E)Nuclear fusion

Question 77

Sodium-21 will emit positrons,each having an energy of 4.0 × 10^-13 J.What is this energy in MeV? (1 MeV = 1.602 × 10^-13 J)

A)4.0 × 10^-7 MeV
B)2.5 MeV
C)40 MeV
D)2.5 × 10⁶ MeV
E)2.5 × 10^-6 MeV

Question 78

A particle accelerator uses which of the following to increase the kinetic energy of charged species so that a reaction will occur?

A)Electromagnetic fields
B)Fission reaction
C)Gravitational field
D)Fusion reaction
E)Combustion reaction

Question 79

In passing through matter,alpha particles lose energy chiefly by causing

A)fermentation.
B)neutralization.
C)ionization.
D)condensation.
E)carbonation.

Question 80

The dose unit of ionizing radiation is called the rad.The rad is defined in terms of

A)the half-life of a radioisotope.
B)the energy deposited per gram of an object.
C)the biological damage produced.
D)the accumulation of fission products.
E)the number of ions per centimeter.