Deck 20: Nuclear Chemistry

Question 1

Which particle has the same mass as a beta particle?

A)a neutron
B)a proton
C)a gamma ray
D)an alpha particle
E)a positron

Answer 1

a positron

Question 2

When the radioactive nuclide ¹¹⁰In undergoes positron emission,what is the product nuclide?

A)(¹¹⁰Sn)
B)(¹¹⁰Cd)
C)(¹⁰⁹Sn)
D)(¹⁰⁹In)
E)(¹⁰⁹Sb)

Answer 2

(¹¹⁰Cd)

Question 3

A sodium nucleus, ,is bombarded with alpha particles to form a radioactive nuclide.This product nuclide can decay by several routes.Which of the following sets of products does not represent a potential route of decay of the product nuclide?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Answer 3

Question 4

When ¹⁰³Pd undergoes electron capture,what is the product nuclide?

A)(¹⁰³Ag)
B)(¹⁰¹Rh)
C)(¹⁰⁷Ag)
D)(¹⁰³Rh)
E)(¹⁰⁴Cd)

Question 5

Which of the following statements about ²⁴⁸Bk is incorrect?

A)If ²⁴⁸Bk were to undergo spontaneous fission,the products would be ²⁴⁷Bk and a neutron.
B)If ²⁴⁸Bk were to undergo beta decay,the products would be ²⁴⁸Cf and a beta particle.
C)If ²⁴⁸Bk were to undergo alpha decay,the products would be ²⁴⁴Am and an alpha particle.
D)If ²⁴⁸Bk were to undergo electron capture,the only product would be ²⁴⁸Cm.
E)If a metastable form of ²⁴⁸Bk were to undergo gamma decay,the products would be ²⁴⁸Bk and a gamma ray.

Question 6

Which of the following nuclides will produce ²³³Pa upon undergoing alpha decay?

A)(²³⁴Pa)
B)(²³³U)
C)(²²⁹Ra)
D)(²³⁷Np)
E)(²³³Th)

Question 7

When the radioactive nuclide ⁶²Zn undergoes electron capture,what is the product nuclide?

A)(⁶¹Cu)
B)(⁶¹Ga)
C)(⁶²Cu)
D)(⁶¹Zn)
E)(⁶²Ga)

Question 8

The gamma ray emission from the decay of cobalt-60 is used in cancer therapies.Cobalt-60 decays by the emission of two gamma rays followed by beta emission.What is the final product of this decay process?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 9

Which particle does the nuclide symbol represent?

A)positron
B)helium nucleus
C)electron
D)proton
E)gamma photon

Question 10

The radioactive nuclide,²²Na,undergoes decay by emitting a positron.What is the nuclear composition of the product nuclide?

A)12 protons and 10 neutrons
B)11 protons and 11 neutrons
C)11 protons and 10 neutrons
D)9 protons and 12 neutrons
E)10 protons and 12 neutrons

Question 11

Which of the following nuclides is most likely to be radioactive?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 12

Which of the following nuclides will produce ¹⁹²Pt upon undergoing beta decay?

A)(¹⁹²Ir)
B)(¹⁹³Pt)
C)(¹⁹²Au)
D)(¹⁹⁶Hg)
E)(¹⁸⁸Os)

Question 13

When the radioactive nuclide ¹⁹⁸Po undergoes alpha emission,what is the product nuclide?

A)(¹⁹⁶Pb)
B)(²⁰²Rn)
C)(¹⁹⁶At)
D)(¹⁹⁴Pb)
E)(¹⁹⁸Rn)

Question 14

When ²⁵Na undergoes beta emission,what is the product nuclide?

A)(²⁵Ne)
B)(²⁴Mg)
C)(²⁴Na)
D)(²⁴Ne)
E)(²⁵Mg)

Question 15

In the ejection of a beta particle from the nucleus,which of the following occurs?

A)A neutron is converted to a proton and an electron.
B)A neutron is converted to an electron and an alpha particle.
C)A positron is converted to a neutron and a proton.
D)A neutron is converted to a positron,an electron,and a gamma ray.
E)A proton is converted to a neutron and a positron.

Question 16

Which of the following nuclides will produce ²⁴³Am upon undergoing alpha decay?

A)(²⁴⁷Bk)
B)(²³⁹Np)
C)(²⁴³Pu)
D)(²⁴³Cm)
E)(²⁴⁴Am)

Question 17

Which of the following nuclides is most likely to be radioactive?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 18

When a nucleus undergoes radioactive decay,its new mass number is

A)always less than its original mass number.
B)never more than its original mass number.
C)never less than its original mass number.
D)always the same as its original mass number.
E)always more than its original mass number.

Question 19

⁵⁵Mn can be prepared by electron capture from which of the following?

A)(⁵⁶Mn)
B)(⁵⁵Fe)
C)(⁵⁵Cr)
D)(⁵¹V)
E)(⁵⁷Co)

Question 20

For which of the following radioactive decay processes does the atomic number not change?

A)electron capture
B)positron emission
C)alpha emission
D)gamma emission
E)beta emission

Question 21

Which of the following is the most probable mode of radioactive decay for the radioactive nuclide ?

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

Question 22

Which types of processes are likely when the neutron-to-proton ratio in a nucleus is too low?
I
Α decay
II
Β decay
III
Positron emission
IV
Electron capture

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

Question 23

A radioactive isotope decays by α emission followed by two β emissions.What is the change in the mass number and atomic number of the original isotope?

A)The mass number decreases by 4 and the atomic number is unchanged.
B)The mass number increases by 4 and the atomic number increases by 2.
C)The mass number increases by 4 and the atomic number increases by 4.
D)The mass number decreases by 2 and the atomic number decreases by 2.
E)none of the above

Question 24

The following reaction is an example of what type of process?

A)alpha decay
B)deprotonation
C)fission
D)transmutation
E)none of these

Question 25

Nuclides with too many neutrons to be in the band of stability are most likely to decay by what mode?

A)β^-
B)fission
C)α
D)β⁺
E)electron capture

Question 26

Which of these is not a transuranium element?

A)plutonium
B)neptunium
C)curium
D)thorium
E)americium

Question 27

When the nucleus of an element undergoes beta emission

A)the mass number increases by one.
B)the mass number decreases by one.
C)the atomic number decreases by one.
D)the number of neutrons increases by one.
E)the atomic number increases by one.

Question 28

Which of the following particles cannot be accelerated to high speeds in a particle accelerator or cyclotron?

A)neutrons
B)electrons
C)protons
D)alpha particles
E)hydrogen nuclei

Question 29

A particular nuclear bombardment reaction is represented by the abbreviated notation ¹⁴₇N(n,α).What is the identity of the nuclide X?

A)(¹¹₅B)
B)(​¹³₇N)
C)(​⁸₄Be)
D)(​¹⁵₆C)
E)​(¹⁶₈O)

Question 30

A nucleus located to the left of the band of stability is expected to undergo what type of nuclear decay?

A)alpha emission
B)electron capture
C)positron emission
D)fission
E)electron emission

Question 31

The nuclide is radioactive.When one of these atoms decays,a series of α and β^- particle emissions occurs,taking the atom through many transformations to end up as an atom of
)How many α particles are emitted in converting
Into
?

A)6
B)2
C)214
D)8
E)4

Question 32

What is the abbreviated notation for the following nuclear bombardment reaction?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 33

When a neutron in the nucleus is converted to a proton,which of the following is emitted?

A)positron
B)beta particle
C)alpha particle
D)deuteron
E)neutron

Question 34

The first nuclear reaction that was ever observed occurred when nitrogen-14 was bombarded with alpha particles.One product was a proton,and the other was

A) .
B) .
C) .
D) .
E) .

Question 35

Which of the following is the most likely mode of decay for the radioactive nuclide ?

A)positron emission
B)gamma radiation
C)beta emission
D)alpha emission
E)neutron emission

Question 36

In the radioactive decay series of plutonium-244 to form lead-208,how many alpha particles and how many beta particles are emitted per plutonium atom?

A)6 alpha particles and 6 beta particles
B)3 alpha particles and 3 beta particles
C)9 alpha particles and 6 beta particles
D)12 alpha particles and 8 beta particles
E)18 alpha particles and 9 beta particles

Question 37

When absorbs a neutron,fission occurs.One possible fission pathway is as follows:
What is the missing isotope?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 38

Which is the most likely mode of radioactive decay for the radioactive nuclide carbon-14?

A)gamma emission
B)alpha emission
C)electron capture
D)positron emission
E)beta emission

Question 39

Which particle has a +2 charge and is produced during the decay of some radioactive elements?

A)alpha particle
B)beta particle
C)proton
D)positron
E)deuteron

Question 40

When ²³⁵U collides with one neutron,fission occurs.What is one possible set of products?

A)four neutrons,⁹⁰Sr,and ¹⁴⁰Xe
B)four neutrons,⁹⁰Sr,and ¹³⁹Xe
C)four neutrons,⁹⁰Sr,and ¹³⁹Ce
D)four neutrons,⁹⁰Sr,and ¹⁴¹Xe
E)four neutrons,⁹⁰Sr,and ¹⁴²Xe

Question 41

A Geiger counter measures radiation by detecting

A)cations produced from radiation colliding with phosphor gases.
B)alpha and beta particles as they strike a detector window.
C)the increase in temperature when a gas is struck by radiation.
D)flashes of light emitted from a phosphor affected by radiation.
E)electrons released when gas atoms are ionized by the radiation.

Question 42

The activity of a radioactive source

A)is a measure of the number of nuclear disintegrations per second.
B)may be quantified in units of curies (Ci).
C)is a measure of the energy released per kilogram of tissue.
D)A and B
E)B and C

Question 43

What is the decay constant for a particular radioactive element that has a half-life of 5.66 years?

A)0.161/year
B)0.113/year
C)7.18 × 10^-3/h
D)25.8/s
E)0.122/year

Question 44

Use the following table to assist in answering the question below.
Nuclide
Half-Life
Uranium-238
4)51 × 10⁹ years
Uranium-234
2)48 × 10⁵ years
Thorium-230
8)0 × 10⁴ years
Radium-226
1)62 × 10³ years
Lead-210
20)4 years
The rate constant for the decay of unstable nuclide X by alpha-particle emission is 1.17 × 10^-6 / day.What is the identity of X?

A)radium-226
B)thorium-230
C)uranium-238
D)uranium-234
E)lead-210

Question 45

The half-life of ⁴²K is 12.5 h.How much will remain after 75 h if the original sample contained 256 g of ⁴²K?

A)22 g
B)4.0 g
C)15 g
D)20 g
E)13 g

Question 46

After 3.2 hours, of the initial amount of a particular radioactive nuclide remains unchanged.What is the half-life of the nuclide?

A)32 min
B)45 min
C)60 min
D)74 min
E)20 min

Question 47

What is the percent activity of a radioactive sample (relative to its original activity)that has undergone four half-lives of decay?

A)6.25%
B)25%
C)12.5%
D)3.13%
E)75.0%

Question 48

Which of the following corresponds to the most rapid nuclear decay?

A)t_1/2 = 1.0 × 10³ min
B)t_1/2 = 1.0 × 10⁹ year
C)k = 1.0 × 10^-3/year
D)k = 1.0 × 10^-1/day
E)k = 1.0 × 10^-5/s

Question 49

The half-life of the radioactive nuclide is 9.0 min.What is the activity of a 4.7-µg sample of
? The molar mass of
Is 78.921 g/mol.(1 Ci = 3.700 × 10¹⁰ disintegrations/s)

A)​1.8×10³Ci
B)​1.1×10⁵Ci
C)​1.2×10³Ci
D)​7.5×10⁴Ci
E)​1.1×10^-10Ci

Question 50

A scintillation counter measures radiation by detecting

A)cations produced from radiation colliding with phosphor gases.
B)electrons released when gas atoms are ionized by the radiation.
C)alpha and beta particles as they strike a detector window.
D)the increase in temperature when a gas is struck by radiation.
E)flashes of light emitted from a phosphor affected by radiation.

Question 51

The half-life of the radioisotope ¹⁵⁸Eu is 0.77 h.How much time is required for a 160.0-g sample of ¹⁵⁸Eu to decay to 1.59 g?

A)6.0 h
B)4.0 h
C)3.0 h
D)2.2 h
E)5.1 h

Question 52

Which of the following types of radioactive decay has the greatest relative biological effectiveness (RBE)?

A)alpha radiation
B)electromagnetic radiation
C)beta radiation
D)gamma radiation
E)neutron radiation

Question 53

As a radioactive isotope decays,its rate constant

A)remains the same.
B)decreases.
C)doubles.
D)halves.
E)increases.

Question 54

Which of the following statements is true?

A)As a radioactive isotope decays,its half-life decreases over time and its rate of disintegration remains the same.
B)As a radioactive isotope decays,its half-life remains the same and its rate of disintegration remains the same.
C)As a radioactive isotope decays,its half-life remains the same and its rate of disintegration increases over time.
D)As a radioactive isotope decays,its half-life remains the same and its rate of disintegration decreases over time.
E)As a radioactive isotope decays,its half-life decreases over time and its rate of disintegration decreases over time.

Question 55

A sample of a radioactive isotope is found to have lost 19.8% of its original activity after 8.59 days.What is the decay constant of this isotope?

A)0.026 d−1
B)0.188 d−1
C)1.89 d−1
D)0.021 d−1
E)0.51 d−1

Question 56

Consider a certain type of nucleus that has a rate constant of 2.43 × 10^-2 min^-1.Calculate the time required for the sample to decay to one-fourth of its initial value.

A)28.5 min
B)35.6 min
C)0.0486 min
D)57.0 min
E)2.43 min

Question 57

The rate constant for the decay of a radioactive isootope is 4.226 × 10^-3 / day.What is the half-life of of this isotope?

A)328.0 days
B)410.0 days
C)82.00 days
D)164.0 days
E)none of these

Question 58

If a sample of the radioactive nuclide ¹³⁹Cs has an activity of 0.0739 Ci,what is the instantaneous rate of decomposition of ¹³⁹Cs in terms of grams per second? The mass of ¹³⁹Cs is 138.9134 amu.(1 Ci = 3.700 × 10¹⁰ disintegrations/s,1 amu = 1.66054 × 10^-24 g)

A)​7.39×10^-2 g/s
B)​1.70×10^-23 g/s
C)​8.53×10^-12 g/s
D)​4.61×10^-14 g/s
E)​6.31×10^-13 g/s

Question 59

Iodine-131 decays by beta emission with a half-life of 8.04 days.What is the decay constant for iodine-131?

A)5.18 × 10^-3/h
B)5.99 × 10^-5/min
C)1.44 × 10^-6/s
D)1.24× 10^-1/day
E)3.35 × 10^-1/h

Question 60

Which of the following correctly represents the relationship among rads,rems,and relative biological effectiveness (RBE)?

A)rems = rads × RBE
B)rads = rems × RBE
C)rads = rems × ln(RBE)
D)rems = rads + RBE
E)none of these

Question 61

What is the energy change for the following nuclear bombardment reaction? (c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s,1 amu = 1.66054 × 10^-27 kg,1 MeV = 1.602 ×10^-13 J)​ Particle
Mass (amu)
1)008665
4)00260
42)96852
45)96837

A)​ 7.47×10^-23MeV
B)​8.76×10^-22MeV
C)​5.59×10^-23MeV
D)​0.00MeV
E)​2.80×10^-23MeV

Question 62

A living tree contains ¹⁴C (half-life,5730 years)and has a specific activity of 750 counts per hour.A wooden artifact recovered from an archeological site gives a count of 210 counts per hour.The age of this artifact is most nearly

A)47,000 years.
B)4,500 years.
C)10,000 years.
D)22,000 years.
E)5730 years.

Question 63

A sample of wood from an Egyptian mummy case gives a count of 8.5 cpm/gC (counts per minute per gram of carbon).How old is the wood? (The initial decay rate of
Is 15.3 cpm/g C,and its half-life is 5730 years.)

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

Question 64

Which of the following nuclides has the highest nuclear binding energy per nucleon?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

Question 65

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

A)Isotope dilution is a technique used to determine the quantity of a substance in a mixture by adding a known amount of an isotope to it.
B)Isotope dilution was used to elucidate the biological pathways of photosynthesis.
C)Isotope dilution may be used to determine the amount of vitamin B₁₂ in food.
D)A radioactive tracer is a very small amount of a radioactive isotope added to a system used to study the chemical,physical,or biological processes of a system.
E)Neutron activation analysis is an analysis of elements in a sample based on the conversion of stable isotopes to radioactive isotopes by bombarding a sample with neutrons.

Question 66

A radioactive isotope undergoes decay by emission of a positron.After 2.00 h,6.650% of the initial amount of the isotope remains undecayed.What is the half-life of this isotope?

A)45.0 min
B)30.7 min
C)90.0 min
D)15.0 min
E)60.0 min

Question 67

What quantity of energy is released per gram of U-235 based on the following neutron induced fission of U-235? (c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s) Particle
Mass (amu)
1)008665
235)043922
136)9253
96)910950

A)7.62 × 10¹⁰ J/g U-235
B)7.62 × 10¹³ J/g U-235
C)1.79 × 10¹⁰ J/g U-235
D)1.79 × 10¹³ J/g U-235
E)3.10 × 10¹¹ J/g U-235

Question 68

A 4.50-mg sample of a newly discovered radioactive nuclide was analyzed and found to contain only 3.25 mg after a period of 25.9 h.What is the half-life of the nuclide?

A)75.0 h
B)55.2 h
C)73.5 h
D)11.4 h
E)18.9 h

Question 69

How much energy is released when 2.00 metric tons of ²H₂ gas undergoes nuclear fusion? (1 metric ton = 1000 kg,c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s,1 amu = 1.66054 × 10^-27 kg)
²H + ²H → ³He + ¹n
Particle
Mass (amu)
​
1)008665
​
2)01400
​
3)01603
​

A)​6.77×10^-18J
B)​1.48×10¹⁷J
C)​1.07×10¹⁷J
D)​5.39×10¹⁰J
E)​2.95×10¹⁷J

Question 70

One of the first nuclear bombs based on the fission of U-235 had a maximum yield of 7.5 x10¹³ J.If the fission of U-235 releases 1.8 × 10¹³ J/mol,approximately what mass of U-235 was used in this bomb? (U-235 has a molar mass of 235.04 g/mol)

A)9.8 × 10² g U-235
B)56 g U-235
C)0.018 g U-235
D)0.0010 g U-235
E)2.3 × 10² g U-236

Question 71

The half-life of phosphorus-33 is 25 days.How much of a 128-g sample will remain after 160 days?

A)1.5 g
B)16 g
C)1.0 g
D)8.0 g
E)4.0 g

Question 72

The isotope ²¹⁰Pb has a half-life of 22 years.What percentage of a pure ²¹⁰Pb sample prepared in April 1937 remains in April 1994?

A)17%
B)26%
C)31%
D)21%
E)38%

Question 73

What assumption must be true for radiocarbon (¹⁴C)dating to be useful?

A)(¹⁴C) has the same mass as ¹²C.
B)A constant concentration of ¹⁴C is maintained in living plants and animals through equilibration with atmospheric levels of ¹⁴C.
C)The sample cannot have been chemically altered prior to the analysis.
D)(¹⁴C) always decays at the same rate.
E)(¹⁴C) is nonradioactive.

Question 74

Strontium-90 is produced in nuclear explosions.It can replace calcium in the bone.The half-life of ⁹⁰Sr is 27.7 years.If the activity of ⁹⁰Sr in the bones of an exposed person were 90 disintegrations per second,how long would it take the activity of ⁹⁰Sr to decrease to 8.1 disintegrations per second?

A)96 years
B)66 years
C)49 years
D)59 years
E)75 years

Question 75

Metastable isotopes,such as Technetium-99m and those produced from neutron activation analysis decay by what process?

A)gamma emission
B)alpha emission
C)beta emission
D)positron emission
E)all of the above

Question 76

Iodine-131,which is used to treat thyroid cancer,has a half-life of 8.04 days.How much time is required for 68% of the isotope to decay?

A)13 days
B)7 days
C)43 days
D)53 days
E)4 days

Question 77

Relative to the sum of the masses of its constituent nucleons (neutrons + protons),the mass of a nucleus is

A)always greater.
B)sometimes the same and sometimes smaller.
C)always smaller.
D)always the same.
E)sometimes greater and sometimes smaller.

Question 78

If a tree dies and the trunk remains undisturbed for 14560 years,what percentage of original is still present? (half-life of
= 5730 years)

A)34.0%
B)25.0%
C)82.0%
D)17.0%

Question 79

Which of the following radioactive isotopes is not commonly used in medical applications?

A)technetium-99m
B)iodine-131
C)strontium-90
D)cobalt-60
E)thallium-201

Question 80

The half-life of neptunium-231 is 50.0 min.How many minutes will it take for 5.0 g of this isotope to decay to 0.16 g?

A) × 10² min
B) × 10² min
C)1.50 × 10² min
D)4.00 × 10² min
E) × 10² min