S-ECHE001L- Chemistry for Engineers Laboratory

Module 6: Nuclear Chemistry

Enabling Assessment Exercises on Nuclear Chemistry

Name Sumaya, Miguel P. Date 10/24/2022
Professor Antonio, Lani CYS MEE12
Points 35 points Time Allotment 60 minutes Score

Instruction. Analyze each item carefully and write your answer by showing your systematic
solution or giving clear and concise statements.

1. Write the balanced nuclear reaction for each process and identify the type of nuclear
decay involved. (5 pts)
a. Polonium-210 decays into lead-206
𝟐𝟏𝟎 𝟐𝟎𝟔 𝟒
𝟖𝟒𝑷𝒐 → 𝟖𝟐𝑷𝒃 + 𝟐𝑯𝒆
𝑨𝒍𝒑𝒉𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒚

b. Actinium-227 transforms into thorium-227

𝟐𝟐𝟕 𝟐𝟐𝟕 𝟎
𝟖𝟗𝑨𝒄 → 𝟗𝟎𝑻𝒉 − 𝟏𝒆
𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒚

c. Astatine-85 receives an electron

𝟐𝟎𝟕 𝟎 𝟐𝟎𝟕
𝟖𝟓𝑨𝒕 + 𝟏𝒆 → 𝟖𝟒𝑷𝒐
𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒚

d. Nitrogen-13 releases a beta plus particle

𝟏𝟑 𝟏𝟑 𝟎
𝟕𝑵 → 𝟔𝑶 + 𝟏𝒆
𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒚

e. High-energy potassium-38 atom returns to its ground state

𝟑𝟖 𝟑𝟖 𝟎
𝟏𝟗𝑲 → 𝟏𝟗𝑲 + 𝟎𝜸
𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒚
 S-ECHE001L- Chemistry for Engineers Laboratory
Module 6: Nuclear Chemistry

2. Answer the following questions on rate of nuclear decay (15 pts)

a. Fossilized tortoise shell was discovered in an ancient cave dwelling in northern

Philippines. A sample of the shell has a specific activity (which is equivalent to Nt) of
4.12 disintegration per minute per gram (d/min-g). If the ratio of C-12 and C-14 in living
organisms results to 17.5 d/min-g (which is equivalent to N0), how old is the fossil given
that the half-life of C-14 is 5730 years?

𝑅0 = 𝑘𝑁0
𝑅𝑡 = 𝑘𝑁𝑡
0.693
𝑘=
𝑡0.5
2.303 𝑁0
𝑡=( ) log ( )
𝑘 𝑁
2.303(𝑡0.5 ) 𝑁0
𝑡= log ( )
0.693 𝑁
2.303(5730) 17.5
𝑡= 𝑙𝑜𝑔
0.693 4.12
𝒕 = 𝟏𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟏. 𝟏𝟑

b. A patient undergoing thyroid radiotracing was initially administered with 50.0 mg of

iodine-131. After 3 days, around 38.5 mg of the substances remains in the thyroid of
the patient. What is the half-life of I-131 and how many days will it take for the level of
substance to drop to 5.00 mg?

𝐼 𝐴𝑜
𝑥 = ln
𝜆 𝐴𝑡
1 50
𝑥 = ln ( ) 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 −1
3 38.5
0.26
𝑥=
3
𝑥 = 0.087 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 −1
ln 2
𝑡0.5 =
𝑥
𝟎. 𝟔𝟗𝟑
𝒕𝟎.𝟓 = = 𝟕. 𝟗𝟓𝟔 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔
𝟎. 𝟎𝟖𝟕

𝐼 𝐴𝑜
𝑡= ln
𝑥 𝐴𝑡
1 50
𝑡= ln ( )
0.087 5
1
𝑡= 𝑥 2.302 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠
0.087
𝒕 = 𝟐𝟎. 𝟒𝟔𝟔 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔
 S-ECHE001L- Chemistry for Engineers Laboratory
Module 6: Nuclear Chemistry

c. The Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan is the most recent catastrophic nuclear
disaster in memory which was brought about by the massive tsunami that was
triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Tohoku region in Japan last 2011. One of
the radioactive substances released during the incident is cesium-137 which has a
half-life of 30 years. Around 15,000 terabecquerels (becquerel is a standard unit of
radioactivity named after Henri Becquerel) of Cs-137 was released during the disaster.
How many becquerels of this radioactive substance remains to this day?

1
𝑡0.5 =
𝜆
1 1
𝜆= = 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 = 0.03 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 −1
𝑡0.5 30
𝑡 = 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑔𝑒 − 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 = 2021 − 2011 = 10 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠

1 𝐴𝑜
𝑡 = ln
𝜆 𝐴𝑡
𝐴𝑜 𝐴𝑜
𝜆𝑡 = ln = 𝑒 𝜆𝑡 =
𝐴𝑡 𝐴𝑡
𝐴𝑜
𝐴𝑡 = 𝜆𝑡
𝑒
15000
𝐴𝑡 = 10 𝑥 0.03
𝑒
15000
𝐴𝑡 =
1.349
𝑨𝒕 = 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟗. 𝟑𝟓

3. Determine the energy in one mole of cobalt-60 as it decays into nickel-60 during cancer
radiotherapy if the mass of cobalt-60 atom is 59.9338 amu and that of nickel-60 is 59.9308
amu. (5 pts)
Mass of one mole of Cobalt = 60 x 59.9338 amu
Mass of One mole = 3596.028 amu
Mass of one mole of Nickel = 60 x 59.9308 amu
Mass of One mole = 3595.848 amu
∆Mass = 3596.028 − 3595.848 = 0.18 amu

E = ∆Mass x 𝑐 2
𝑀𝑒𝑉
1 𝑎𝑚𝑢 = 931.5
𝑐2
𝑀𝑒𝑉
𝐸 = 0.18 𝑥 931.5 𝑥 𝑐2
𝑐2
𝑬𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒍𝒆 = 𝟏𝟔𝟕. 𝟔𝟕 𝑴𝒆𝑽
 S-ECHE001L- Chemistry for Engineers Laboratory
Module 6: Nuclear Chemistry

4. What are the other uses of radioactive substances aside from energy and weaponry
purposes? (5 pts)

Field of Medicine
There are several medicinal uses for radioactive materials, including the diagnosis and
treatment of illnesses and disorders. The use of radioactive iodine-131 to check for
thyroid activity is one instance of a diagnostic use. Using the right radioactive chemical,
images of bones, the heart, the brain, the liver, the lungs, and many other organs are
possible.

Field of Food
The shelf life of these products can be increased by using the radiation that some
radioactive substances emit to destroy bacteria on a range of meals. Produce like
tomatoes, mushrooms, sprouts, and berries are exposed to cobalt-60 or cesium-137
radiation. The produce stays fresher for longer because a lot of the germs that cause
rotting are killed by this exposure. You can irradiate eggs and several types of meat,
including beef, pork, and poultry. Contrary to popular misconception, irradiating food
does not make it radioactive in and of itself.

5. What the harmful effects of radioactive substances to biological systems? (5 pts)

Radiation exposure's effects on biological systems. Radiation damage can affect both
eggs and sperm as well as the entire organism (somatic damage) (genetic damage). In
cells that divide quickly, such the stomach lining, hair follicles, bone marrow, and embryos,
its effects are more prominent. A radioactive substance will render a region uninhabitable,
meaning that no one should live there for years and that the water and soil are entirely
contaminated with radioactive substances. For instance, the Chernobyl disaster caused
several fatalities, rendered the city uninhabitable for many years, and today causes
radioactivity levels in the river that make it unsafe to drink. If swallowed, it causes a variety
of illnesses in the body, and both internal and exterior exposure are exceedingly
dangerous for any living thing beside the radioactive chemical.