Exam 19: Nuclear Chemistry: Applications to Energy and Medicine

The activity of a radioactive sample is the number of decay events per second. The SI unit of activity is the becquerel (1 Bq = 1/s). An older unit for activity is the curie (1 Ci = 3.70  10¹⁰/s). What is the activity in  Ci of a sample with an activity of 2.1 10 ⁵ Bq of radiation?

Why are higher temperatures necessary for fusion of helium nuclei than for hydrogen nuclei?

Which of the following nuclides are most likely to be unstable because they have too many neutrons? I. carbon-14 II. sodium-24 III. silicon-26 IV.aluminum-27 V. phosphorus-31

The activity of a sample of gas obtained from a basement containing radon-222 was found to be 8 pCi/L. This isotope has a half-life of 3.8 days. If no additional radon-222 entered the basement, how long would it take for the activity to decline to 1 pCi/L?

What repulsive forces must be overcome for any element other than hydrogen to exist?

Fill in the missing nuclide to balance the following nuclear equation.

The main radiation source humans are exposed to is ________

Which isotope is produced when ²²²Rn decays by emitting two  particles?

Which of the following nuclides are most likely to be unstable because they have too many neutrons? I. nitrogen-15 II. boron-8 III. oxygen-18 IV. fluorine-19 V. magnesium-28

The heaviest stable nucleus is an isotope of ________

Two of the units used to measure biological effects of radioactivity are gray and rad. What are these units used to measure?

Which one of the following statements is not correct?

Radon-222 has a half-life of 3.8 days. A sample from a basement in Colorado was analyzed 5.0 days after it was collected and found to have an activity of 0.17 Bq. What was the original activity of this sample?

Identify two processes that convert a proton into a neutron.

Why is iodine-131 used effectively to treat thyroid cancer?

Which one of the following statements is not correct?

Though uranium-238 is radioactive, it can be worked with safely in a glovebox with no additional precautions. This is because ________

Which process converts a proton into a neutron?

One of the last steps in the disintegration of uranium is . What particle is emitted in this reaction?

When a nucleus undergoes radioactive decay, the new atomic number ________ I. can be greater than the original atomic number. II. can be the same as the original atomic number. III. can be less than the original atomic number. IV. must be the same as the original atomic number.