Problem Set Name: __________________________

Chemistry – Ch.25 Nuclear Chemistry Date: _______________ Per.: ______

1. Write a balanced nuclear equation for the following radioisotopes undergoing beta emission.

a) Indium-116

b) Zirconium-97

2. Write a balanced nuclear equation for the following radioisotopes undergoing alpha emission.

a) Xenon-142

b) Terbium-162

3. Fill in the missing particle:

a) 3
1H  _____  24  01 n d) 226
88 Ra  ______  24 

b) 214
83 Bi  24 ______ e) 4
2He  14
7 N  ______ 11H

c) 1
0 n  U  3 01 n  36
235
92
92
Kr  ______ f) 102
44 Ru  24 He  01 n  ______

4. Write a balanced nuclear equation for the reaction in which the transition metal zirconium-97
undergoes beta decay.

5. Write a balanced nuclear equation for the reaction in which oxygen-15 undergoes alpha decay.

7. Determine what type of decay occurs when thorium-231 undergoes radioactive decay to form
protactinium-231.
Half-Life Problems

1) The half-life of Hf-182 is 1.0 x106 years. How much of a 1.00 gram sample of this isotope will
remain at the end of 5 million years?

2) The isotope strontium-90 is produced during the testing of nuclear weapons. If 100.00 mg of
strontium-90 was released in the atmosphere in 1960, how much of the radioisotope remains
116 years later? The half-life of strontium-90 is 29 years.

3) A rock sample originally contained 2.73 x 10-7 g potassium-40 which has a half life of
1.26 x 109 years. How much time has passed if 6.83 x 10-8 g of sample remains?

4) The half-life of antimony-51 is 30 minutes. How much of a 16.0 gram sample of this isotope
will remain at the end of 3.0 hours?

How much of the sample decayed?

5) The radioisotope technetium-99 is often used as a radiotracer to detect disorders of the body.
It has a half-life of 6.00 hours. If a patient received a 25.00 mg dose of this isotope during a
medical procedure, how much would remain 48.0 hours after the dose was given?

How many half-lives occurred at the 48.0 hour?