Deck 21: Nuclear Chemistry

Question 1

The transformation of ¹⁴C→¹⁴N is an example of:

A) a decay.
B) decay.
C) decay.
D) fusion
E) none of these

Answer 1

decay.

Question 2

The alpha decay of ²³¹Pa produces:

A) "²²⁷Ac."
B) "²²⁹Fr."
C) "²²⁷Np."
D) "²²⁹U."
E) "none of these"

Answer 2

"²²⁷Ac."

Question 3

Which form of radioactive decay can penetrate skin?
I. Gamma radiation
II. Beta particles
III. Alpha particles

A) I only
B) II only
C) III only
D) I and II
E) All of these

Answer 3

I and II

Question 4

The type of radioactivity that removes excess energy from the nucleus without changing the atomic number or mass number is called:

A) alpha decay.
B) beta decay.
C) gamma decay.
D) electron capture.
E) none of these

Question 5

When a nuclide with atomic number = Z and mass number = A undergoes decay, the product nucleus will have:

A) atomic number = Z, mass number = A
B) atomic number = Z - 2, mass number = A - 4.
C) atomic number = Z + 1, mass number = A.
D) atomic number = Z - 1, mass number = A.
E) none of these

Question 6

The most common mode of decay for elements with Z > 83 is:

A) alpha decay.
B) beta decay.
C) gamma decay.
D) electron capture.
E) none of these

Question 7

The atomic mass of beryllium is 9.012. The radioactive nuclide ¹¹Be is expected to decay by:

A) alpha emission.
B) emission.
C) gamma emission.
D) electron capture.
E) none of these

Question 8

An isotope with Z = 34 is above the band of stability in a graph of the number of neutrons versus the number of protons. This nuclide decays by

A) alpha decay.
B) decay.
C) gamma decay.
D) electron capture.
E) none of these

Question 9

⁴⁰K undergoes nuclear decay to ⁴⁰Ar. Which decay process produces this product?

A) a decay
B) decay
C) decay
D) gamma decay
E) none of these

Question 10

Which of the three forms of radiation has the ability to penetrate a sheet of Aluminum that is 1.0 cm thick?
I. Alpha particles
II. Beta particles
III. Gamma rays

A) III only
B) I and II
C) I and III
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 11

When 31 S undergoes decay, the product nucleus is:

A) "³¹P"
B) "³¹Cl"
C) "³¹S"
D) "³²S"
E) "none of these"

Question 12

The product of a decay is 172 Ta. The nuclide that underwent decay is:

A) "¹⁷²Ta."
B) "¹⁷²Hf."
C) "¹⁷²W."
D) "¹⁷⁶Os."
E) "none of these"

Question 13

Which of the following components did Rutherford identify in radioactive decay?

A) "⁴₂ a particles"
B) "⁰ _{- 1} b particles"
C) "⁰₀ g rays"
D) "answer a and b"
E) "all of these"

Question 14

Which two natural radioactive decay processes will produce the same product nuclide?

A) a decay and decay
B) and electron capture
C) and
D) and electron capture
E) none of these

Question 15

Which of the following is positively charged?

A) "⁴₂ a particles"
B) "⁰ _{- 1} b particles"
C) "⁰₀ g rays"
D) "¹₀n"
E) "None of these"

Question 16

When 24 Na undergoes decay the nuclide produced is:

A) "²⁴Na"
B) "²⁴Mg"
C) "²⁴Ne"
D) "²³Ne"
E) "none of these"

Question 17

Which of the three forms of radiation has no charge associated with it and is not deflected by the poles of a magnetic?
I. Alpha particles
II. Beta particles
III. Gamma rays

A) I only
B) II only
C) III only
D) I and II
E) II and III

Question 18

A radioactive element emits a ⁴He²⁺ from the nucleus. This is called:

A) alpha decay.
B) beta decay.
C) gamma decay.
D) electron capture.
E) none of these

Question 19

The alpha decay of produces:

A) "²²²Pa."
B) "²²⁴Np."
C) "²²²Rn."
D) "²²⁴Po."
E) "none of these"

Question 20

A radioactive element that emits an electron from the nucleus is said to undergo:

A) alpha decay.
B) beta decay.
C) gamma decay.
D) electron capture.
E) none of these

Question 21

What daughter nuclide results after carbon - 14 undergoes beta decay ?

A) "¹⁴₇N"
B) "¹⁴₅B"
C) "¹⁵₆C"
D) "¹⁰₄Be"
E) "¹³₆C"

Question 22

Provided in the table below are two radionuclides and their corresponding half-life periods. Which radionuclide decays the fastest and which isotope is the least stable ?
Isotope Half-life period Lead - 210 22 Years Platinum - 190 6.9×10¹¹ Years

A) Lead - 210 decays the fastest and is the least stable.
B) Lead - 210 decays the fastest and Platinum - 190 is the least stable.
C) Platinum - 190 decays the fastest and is the least stable.
D) Platinum - 190 decays the fastest and Lead - 210 is the least stable.
E) They both decay at the same rate and Lead - 210 is the least stable.

Question 23

The decay rate of an alpha emitter sample is 975 disintegrations/minute. Exactly 1 hour later the sample decays at a rate of 644 disintegrations/minute. What is the half-life of this alpha emitter?

A) 100 min
B) 27.5 min
C) 2.79×10 ^{- 2} min
D) 6.91×10 ^{- 3} min
E) none of these

Question 24

The nuclide 226 Ra undergoes a series of alpha and beta decays, finally producing stable 206 Pb. + A + B Give the values of A and B in the equation.

A) A = 5, B = 4
B) A = 4, B = 6
C) A = 6, B = 8
D) A = 8, B = 6
E) A = 4, B = 5

Question 25

Provided in the table below are two isotopes and their corresponding half-life periods. Which isotope decays the fastest and which isotope is the most stable ?
Isotope Half-life period Vanadium - 50 6.0×10¹⁵ Years Uranium - 235 7.1×10⁸ Years

A) Vanadium - 50 decays the fastest and is the most stable.
B) Vanadium - 50 decays the fastest and Uranium - 235 is the most stable.
C) Uranium - 235 decays the fastest and is the most stable.
D) Uranium - 235 decays the fastest and Vanadium - 50 is the most stable.
E) They both decay at the same rate and Vanadium - 50 is the most stable.

Question 26

Provided in the table below are two isotopes and their corresponding half-life periods. Which isotope decays the fastest and which isotope is the most stable ?
Isotope Half-life period Carbon - 14 5730 Years Lead - 210 22 Years

A) Carbon - 14 decays the fastest and is the most stable.
B) Carbon - 14 decays the fastest and Lead - 210 is the most stable.
C) Lead - 210 decays the fastest and is the most stable.
D) Lead - 210 decays the fastest and Carbon - 14 is the most stable.
E) They both decay at the same rate and Carbon - 14 is the most stable.

Question 27

A sample that contains 5.7×10 ^{- 9} mol of ⁹³Zr decays at a rate of 3.02×10³ disintegrations per minute. What is the half-life of ⁹³Zr?
(1 year = 5.256×10⁵ minutes)

A) 1.0×10⁶ years
B) 1.5×10⁶ years
C) 2.2×10⁶ years
D) The half-life cannot be found from this information.
E) none of these

Question 28

Barium - 141 is a beta emitter. What is the daughter nuclide that is produced when barium - 141 undergoes beta emission?

A) "¹⁴¹₅₇La"
B) "¹⁴²₅₆Ba"
C) "¹⁴¹₅₅Cs"
D) "¹⁴⁵₅₈Ce"
E) "¹⁴⁵₅₂Te"

Question 29

In the natural radioactive decay chain 238 U undergoes a series of radioactive decays, finally producing the stable nuclide 206 Pb:
+ A + B What are the values of A and B in this decay chain?

A) A = 10, B = 16
B) A = 8, B = 6
C) A = 6, B = 8
D) A = 16, B = 10
E) none of these

Question 30

Bismuth - 210, ²¹⁰Bi, is an alpha emitter. What is the resulting daughter nuclide after Bismuth - 210 undergoes alpha emission?

A) "²⁰⁶Tl"
B) "²¹⁴At"
C) "²¹⁰Po"
D) "²¹⁰Pb"
E) "²⁰⁶At"

Question 31

Consider comparing the two Phosphorous radionuclides given below and their corresponding half-life periods. Which statement below is true?
Isotope Half-life period Phosphorous - 28 0.28 seconds Phosphorous - 32 14.3 days

A) Phosphorous - 28 decays faster and is the most stable nuclide.
B) Phosphorous - 28 decays faster and is the least stable nuclide.
C) Phosphorous - 32 decays faster and is the most stable nuclide.
D) Phosphorous - 32 decays faster and is the least stable nuclide.
E) They both decay at the same rate but Phosphorous - 28 is more stable.

Question 32

When Plutonium - 239 changes to Uranium - 235, what form of radioactive decay is emitted?

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

Question 33

A sample of a radioactive isotope decays at a rate of 988 disintegrations per minute. Exactly 85 minutes later the decay rate of the sample is 251 disintegrations per minute. What is the half-life of this isotope?

A) 1.61×10 ^{- 2} min
B) 2.32×10 ^{- 2} min
C) 15.0 min
D) 43.0 min
E) none of these

Question 34

The nuclide that undergoes decay to form 72 Ge is:

A) "⁷²Ga."
B) "⁷²As."
C) "⁷⁶Se."
D) "⁷³Ge."
E) "none of these"

Question 35

The nuclide 226 Ra undergoes a series of alpha and beta decays, finally producing the stable nuclide 206 Pb. + A + B What are the values of A and B in the equation?

A) A = 6, B = 10
B) A = 5, B = 4
C) A = 4, B = 5
D) A = 10, B = 6
E) none of these

Question 36

The decay rate of a beta emitter sample is 1510 disintegrations/minute. Exactly 180 minutes later it decays at 963 disintegrations/minute. What is the half-life of this unstable nuclide?

A) 400 min
B) 277 min
C) 80 min
D) 2.50×10 ^{- 3} min
E) none of these

Question 37

The transformation ²³⁰Th→²²⁶Ra is an example of:

A) electron capture decay
B) decay
C) decay
D) a decay.
E) none of these

Question 38

Bismuth - 214 is a radioactive beta emitter. What daughter nuclide is formed after Bismuth - 214 undergoes beta emission?

A) "²¹⁴₈₄Po"
B) "²¹⁴₈₂Pb"
C) "²¹⁸₈₅At"
D) "²¹⁰₈₁Tl"
E) "²¹⁰₈₅At"

Question 39

Consider comparing the two radionuclides given below and their corresponding half-life periods. Which statement below is true?
Isotope Half-life period Carbon - 14 5730 years Iodine - 131 8 days

A) Carbon - 14 decays faster and is the most stable nuclide.
B) Carbon - 14 decays faster and is the least stable nuclide.
C) Iodine - 131 decays faster and is the most stable nuclide.
D) Iodine - 131 decays faster and is the least stable nuclide.
E) They both decay at the same rate but Carbon - 14 is more stable.

Question 40

Polonium - 218 undergoes alpha emission. What is the daughter nuclide after polonium - 218 decays?

A) "²¹⁴₈₆Rn"
B) "²²²₈₈Ra"
C) "²¹⁴₈₂Pb"
D) "²¹⁸₈₅At"
E) "²¹⁸₈₃Bi"

Question 41

A sample of parchment produces 10.3 disintegrations of ¹⁴C per minute per gram of carbon. Estimate the age of the parchment, assuming the original activity was 15.3 disintegrations per minute per gram of carbon. (t_1/2 = 5730 years)

A) 8.5×10³ yr
B) 3.9×10³ yr
C) 3.3×10³ yr
D) 2.3×10³ yr
E) none of these

Question 42

The half-life of Nitrogen - 16 is 7 seconds. How long does it take for 100 mg of Nitrogen - 16 to be reduced tO₆.25 mg?

A) 1.75 seconds
B) 4 seconds
C) 5 seconds
D) 28 seconds
E) 35 seconds

Question 43

Iodine - 131 is a radionuclide that is frequently used in nuclear medicine. Among other things, it is used to detect fluid buildup in the brain. The half-life of iodine - 131 is 8.0 days. After introducing this radionuclide to a patient, if only 1/16^th of the original sample remains, how many days have expired?

A) 0.50 days
B) 2 days
C) 7.5 days
D) 24 days
E) 32 days

Question 44

Phosphorous - 32 has a half-life of 14.3 days. How many days are required for 4.00 grams of phosphorous - 32 to decay to 1.00 gram?

A) 1.80 days
B) 16.1 days
C) 28.6 days
D) 42.9 days
E) 57.2 days

Question 45

Technetium - 99 has a half-life equal tO₆.0 hours. What fraction of Technetiun - 99 remains undecayed after 18 hours?

A) 0.000
B) 1/3
C) 1/8
D) 1/16
E) 1/108

Question 46

What type of nuclear reaction is observed in the following process?
²⁴⁸₉₆Cm + ²⁸₁₀Ne→¹¹⁶₅₁Sb + ¹⁶⁰₅₅Cs

A) Radioactive decay
B) Alpha emission
C) Beta emission
D) Nuclear fission
E) Nuclear fusion

Question 47

What type of nuclear reaction is illustrated below?
²³⁵₉₂U + ¹₀n→¹³⁹₅₄Xe + ⁹⁵₃₈Sr + 2 ¹₀n

A) Alpha emission
B) Beta emission
C) Radioactive decay
D) Nuclear fission
E) Nuclear fusion

Question 48

The half-life of ¹⁴C is 5730 years. Carbon - 14 dating would not be useful in the dating of which of the following samples?

A) "bones that are about 1000 years old"
B) "relics from 500 BC"
C) "paper from the 1970's"
D) "the remains of one of Columbus's crew (1492 AD)"
E) "¹⁴C dating could be used for all of these samples"

Question 49

The reaction below can be best described as what type of nuclear reaction?
²³⁵₉₂U + ¹₀n→¹³⁹₅₆Ba + ⁹⁴₃₆Kr + 3 ¹₀n

A) Alpha decay
B) Beta decay
C) Nuclear fission
D) Nuclear fusion
E) Radioactive decay

Question 50

Which of the following types of nuclear reactions is(are) considered bombardment reactions ?
I. Radioactive decay
II. Nuclear fission
III. Nuclear fusion

A) I only
B) II only
C) III only
D) II and III
E) All of these

Question 51

Barium - 122 has a half-life of 2 minutes. You just obtained a sample weighing 10.0 grams. It takes 10 minutes to set up the experiment in which barium - 122 will be used. How many grams of barium - 122 will be left when you begin the experiment?

A) 0.00 g remain
B) 0.313 g remain
C) 0.625 g remain
D) 2.00 g remain
E) 50.0 g remain

Question 52

In a nuclear reaction, the nuclide ⁷⁵As absorbs a neutron and emits a gamma ray. The product nucleus is:

A) "⁷⁶Ge."
B) "⁷⁶Se."
C) "⁷²Ga."
D) "⁷⁶As."
E) "none of these"

Question 53

A Uranium ore contains 0.250 g of ²⁰⁶Pb per gram of Uranium. Assuming all of the lead was produced by decay of ²³⁸U (t_1/2 = 4.5×10⁹ years), what is the age of the rock?

A) 4.4×10 ^{- 11} years
B) 8.1×10⁸ years
C) 1.9×10⁹ years
D) 3.2×10⁹ years
E) 9.0×10⁹ years

Question 54

A 4.00 gram sample of a radionuclide at room temperature has a half-life of 91.3 days. How much of the sample remains after 365 days?

A) 0.250 g
B) 2.00 g
C) 0.400 g
D) 4.00 g
E) 1.00 g

Question 55

The half-life of strontium - 90 is 28 years. How many grams of this nuclide in a 4.00 gram sample will remain after 112 years?

A) 0.00 g
B) 7.70×10 ^{- 34} g
C) 1.49×10 ^{- 8} g
D) 0.250 g
E) 1.00 g

Question 56

Assuming that the original activity of carbon - 14 was 15.3 disintegrations/min/g, what is the present disintegration rate (in disintegrations/min/g) in a sample of parchment that is 2.10×10³ years old?
(t_1/2 = 5730 years)

A) 5.6
B) 11.9
C) 15.3
D) 41.7
E) none of these

Question 57

What type of nuclear reaction is illustrated in the following transformation?
²³⁵₉₂U + ¹₀n→¹⁴⁴₅₅Cs + ⁹⁰₃₇Rb + 2 ¹₀n

A) Alpha decay
B) Beta decay
C) Nuclear fission
D) Nuclear fusion
E) Radioactive decay

Question 58

What type of nuclear reaction is illustrated below?
³₁H + ²₁H→⁴₂He + ¹₀n

A) Alpha emission
B) Beta emission
C) Radioactive decay
D) Nuclear fission
E) Nuclear fusion

Question 59

Cobalt - 60 has a half-life equal tO₅ .3 years. What fraction of cobalt - 60 remains undecayed after 21.2 years?

A) 0.000
B) 0.0625
C) 0.125
D) 0.250
E) 0.500

Question 60

Polonium - 218, a decay product of radon - 222, has a half-life of 3 minutes. What percentage of the polonium - 218 formed will remain in the lung 9 minutes after inhalation?

A) 0%
B) 12.5%
C) 25%
D) 75%
E) 87.5%

Question 61

What is the missing particle in the nuclear reaction?
+ + ____

A)
B)
C)
D)
E) none of these

Question 62

How many neutrons are produced in the following nuclear reaction involving Uranium - 235?
²³⁵₉₂U + ¹₀n→⁷²₃₀Zn + ¹⁶⁰₆₂Sm + ??

A) 0 ¹₀n
B) 1 ¹₀n
C) 2 ¹₀n
D) 3 ¹₀n
E) 4 ¹₀n

Question 63

The mass of an ¹H atom is 1.007825 u, and a neutron has a mass of 1.008665 u. The atomic mass of ²³Na is 22.9898 u. What is the mass defect of this nuclide in u?

A) 0.2003 u
B) 0.1994 u
C) 0.1901 u
D) 0.1892 u
E) none of these

Question 64

In any nuclear decay:

A) The mass of the products is always greater than that of the reactant.
B) The mass of the products is always less than that of the reactant.
C) The mass of the products is equal to that of the reactant.
D) There is no relationship between the masses of product and reactant.
E) none of these

Question 65

What must be placed in the blank to produce a balanced nuclear equation?
+ ____ +

A)
B)
C)
D)
E) none of these

Question 66

What is the missing particle in the nuclear equation?
+ ____ +

A)
B)
C)
D)
E) none of these

Question 67

The mass defect of ³¹P is 0.2822 u. The binding energy per nucleon (in MeV) for this atom is:

A) 8.480
B) 17.52
C) 16.43
D) 262.9
E) none of these

Question 68

The mass defect of ²³Na is 0.2003 u. The binding energy per nucleon (in MeV) for this atom is:

A) 186
B) 8.112
C) 16.96
D) 15.54
E) none of these

Question 69

The mass defect of ¹⁹F is 0.1587 u. The binding energy per nucleon (in MeV) for this atom is:

A) 147.8
B) 16.42
C) 7.780
D) 14.78
E) none of these

Question 70

What must be placed in the blank to produce a balanced nuclear equation?
+ ____ +

A)
B)
C)
D)
E) none of these

Question 71

Curium - 248, ²⁴⁸Cm, was bombarded, yielding Antimony - 116, ¹¹⁶Sb, and Cesium - 160, ¹⁶⁰Cs. What was the bombarding nucleus?

A) "7 ⁴₂ a"
B) "²⁸Ne"
C) "²⁸Ni"
D) "²⁸Si"
E) "¹⁰B"

Question 72

One of the fission reactions that occurs in uranium reactors is:
+ + + ____ To balance this nuclear equation the blank is:

A) "¹₀n"
B) "2 ¹₀n"
C) "⁴₂He"
D) "⁰ _{- 1} b"
E) "none of these"

Question 73

What must be placed in the blank to produce a balanced nuclear equation?
+ ____ +

A)
B)
C)
D)
E) none of these

Question 74

How many alpha particles are produced in the following nuclear bombardment reaction?
²³⁰₉₀Th + ¹₁p→²²³₈₇Fr + ?
⁴₂ a

A) zero
B) one
C) two
D) three
E) four

Question 75

The binding energy per nucleon is greatest for:

A) the very light atoms.
B) the very heavy atoms.
C) atoms with odd numbers of both neutrons and protons.
D) the stable isotopes of elements near iron.
E) none of these

Question 76

What is the missing symbol in the following nuclear equation?
²⁷₁₃Al + ²₁H→^?_??
+ ⁴₂ a

A) "²⁵₁₃Al"
B) "²⁵₁₂Mg"
C) "³³₁₂Mg"
D) "²⁵₁₆S"
E) "³³₁₆S"

Question 77

The mass of an ¹H atom is 1.007825 u, and a neutron has a mass of 1.008665 u. The atomic mass of ³¹P is 30.9738 u. What is the mass defect of this nuclide in u?

A) 0.2560 u
B) 0.2813 u
C) 0.2822 u
D) 0.2686 u
E) none of these

Question 78

What is the missing symbol in the following nuclear reaction?
²⁰⁹₈₃Bi + ⁴₂He→^?_??
+ 3 ¹₀n

A) "²¹⁰₈₅At"
B) "²¹⁰₈₃Bi"
C) "²¹⁰₈₂Pb"
D) "²¹²₈₅At"
E) "²¹²₈₃Bi"

Question 79

The mass of an ¹H atom is 1.007825 u, and a neutron has a mass of 1.008665 u. What is the mass defect (in u) of ¹⁹₉F (atomic mass = 18.9984 u)?

A) 0.1502 u
B) 0.1577 u
C) 0.1587 u
D) 0.1662 u
E) none of these

Question 80

One of the fission reactions that occurs in uranium reactors is:
+ + + ____ To balance this nuclear equation the blank is:

A) "¹₀n"
B) "3 ¹₀n"
C) "⁴₂He"
D) "³₁H"
E) "none of these"