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Nuclear Chem Packet
Nuclear Chem Packet
(you’ll get this joke better once you read the next page….)
I) Intro
In 1896 French chemist Antoine Becquerel accidentally discovered that
uranium emits invisible rays. Marie and Pierre Curie were his students and they
showed that film could be “fogged” or exposed by the rays given off by uranium
ore. This radiation was a result of….
C) What does it result in? The decay process results in the release
of energy (radiation) and particles. A new element is also formed
as the nucleus breaks down and changes its composition.
Because the nucleus changes, the identity of the element also changes.
This is why a new element can be formed in a nuclear reaction, but not a
chemical reaction.
2. How are chemical and nuclear reactions different from one another?
9. What is a radioisotope?
11. How would an increase in temperature affect the rate of radioactive decay?
III) Types of Radioactive Decay
Please note Table O as you read about each decay mode. Note: protons and
neutrons are of interest in this unit, but they are NOT types of radioactive decay.
Highly recommended: check out the following web link for a nice review
with good visuals. Try out the practice quiz for extra practice.
http://www.darvill.clara.net/nucrad/types.htm
Note: the last form of decay is still very important, it’s just that most
textbooks and websites don’t list it under the 3 main types of decay. Oh
well, we’ll still learn about it!
2. Use Table O to write the correct notation for an alpha particle. Describe what
each number in the notation means.
10. What subatomic particle listed on Table O has the same charge as gamma
radiation?
11. Name all subatomic particles listed on Table O that would be affected by a
magnet.
IV) Radioactive Decay Equations
Given a radioisotope, you can look on Table N to find out its decay mode. We
will discuss half-life later in this unit.
B) Who cares?
What’s interesting about half-life is that no matter how many
atoms you start with, half of them will decay after one half-life.
After a second half-life, half of the atoms that remain after the
first decay, decay themselves. After a third half-life half of the
atoms that remain after the second decay, decay themselves and
so on. Note: the time that passes after each half-life does NOT
change! (see the graph below)
Although from a mathematical standpoint you wouldn’t expect to ever
reach zero where all atoms are decayed, in reality, eventually all atoms
will decay and you WILL reach zero.
Highly recommended: check out the following web link for a nice review
with good visuals. Try out the practice quiz for extra practice.
http://www.darvill.clara.net/nucrad/hlife.htm
2. After three half-lives, what fraction of the original sample would remain?
Explain.
4. Name the element on Table N that has the shortest half-life that undergoes
alpha decay.
5. Would the nuclide from #3 be dangerous to living things based on its half-
life? Why or why not?
7. Would the nuclide from #5 be dangerous to living things based on its half-
life? Why or why not?
Ex 1) How many grams remain of a 10.0 gram sample of cobalt-60 after 15.78
years?
Ex 4) If a sample of Sr-90 has a mass of 100. grams, how long will it take to
decay such that only 12.5 grams of Sr-90 remains?
2. A 50.0 gram sample decays to 12.5 grams in 14.4 seconds. What is its half-
life?
3. How much of a 750.00 gram sample of K-42 is left after 62.00 hours?
6. How long will it take for 16 grams of Ra-226 to break down until only 1.0
grams remain?