Radiochemistry Lab Report

Riley Conroy

Abstract:
The goal of this experiment was to measure the intensity of radiation naturally occurring
in chlorine-36 from various distances. The purpose of varying the distance of the chlorine-36
from the end of the Geiger tube is to measure the intensity of the radioactive source from each
distance at a fixed time interval. The results showed that the radiation intensity is dependent on
the distance from the radioactive source. The values for the distance dependence equation were
determined by using the log of the distance from the Geiger tube and the log of the corrected
average counts/minute and these values were then used to create a graph that provided a trend
line.
Introduction:
Many things in our day-to-day life can be considered radioactive isotopes given that they
exist in nature as well as man-made sources of radiation such as nuclear weapons, medical
devices, and consumer products. According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, they
have determined that the average American is exposed to roughly 620 millirem of radiation each
year, half of the amount is from naturally occurring radiation while the other half is caused by
man-made radiation sources. (General Chemistry 2 Lab Manual. K.W. Barnes, C.J. Fields Wolf,
K.R. Whitaker. Page 123.). A Geiger counter is a tool used to monitor radiation ionization as well
as measure this radiation. As the Geiger counter moves farther away from a radioactive source
there is less radiation detected by the counter. In this experiment, the dependency of radiation
intensity on the distance from the radioactive source will be observed and measured to create a
distance-dependent equation. The distance-dependent equation will be used to determine the
radiation intensity of chlorine-36 at any distance.
Experimental:
The Geiger counter was calibrated to the necessary timer and distance adjustments to
begin the experiment. Before testing the chlorine-36 a five-minute count was performed with no
radioactive source to estimate the background radiation in the area the test was being performed.
The chlorine-36 sample was then put about 66.0mm underneath the detector tube. To properly
measure the distance between the source and the window was measured in millimeters without
touching the ruler to the window of the Geiger tube. The timer was set to 1.5 minutes and the
count was measured. This was repeated twice for more accurate data. The data from the two runs
was then averaged out to determine the average time and average counts per minute.
Four additional runs were performed from 83.0mm for 1.8min, 95.0mm for 2.4min,
105.0mm for 2.9min, and 120.0mm for 3.3min. Each of these positions received two runs and
their data was then averaged out to determine the average time and average counts per minute
just like the first run. After each distance was run the data was recorded and the chlorine-36 was
removed from the Geiger tube.
Results and Discussion:
This experiment tested the dependency of radiation intensity on distance from the
radioactive source. The data collected was then used to generate a distance dependence equation.
The intensity of chlorine-36 radiation from any given distance can be determined using this
equation.
As the distance from the Geiger tub window increased the average number of counts per
minute decreased. After taking the log of the five distances (log d) and the log of the corrected
number of counts per minute for each of the runs (log R) a graph was created, and a trend line
was provided from the graph as y = -1.7566x + 6.3665 and a R-squared value of 0.9903. From
the data in the trend line, the ‘n’ and ‘A’ values for the distance dependence equation were
determined as m = 1.8 and A = 2.3 x 10^6. These values were then plugged into the equation and
used to determine the intensity of radiation at 95mm which was 633.614 counts per minute.
In conclusion, by using the distance dependence equation determined for the data in this
experiment, the radiation of chlorine-36 can be determined from any given distance.