Nuclear Chemistry Flashcards
"Nuclear chemistry deals with nuclear reactions, or reactions that happen inside atoms." (ACS, 2024)
Determine which particles are being described by each of the following
statements:
A. Has the greatest penetrative capability
B. Sometimes called as the positive electron
C. Contact with it can cause the greatest biological destruction
D. Cannot be affected by a magnetic field
Gamma Rays, Positron, Alpha Particles, Gamma Particles
For a criminal case, two men are interrogated in regards to an attempted poisoning of a police officer. During the investigation, it was found that both men had traces of Polonium-210 on their hands while a third accomplice of theirs had Po-210 on his clothes. Through analysis of the police officers stomach content, it was confirmed that he had ingested Po-210. Which among them is/are bound to die if not properly treated?
The police officer only
Po-210 undergoes alpha decay (Alpha particles have the lowest penetration but the highest biological destruction, thus deadly when ingested only)
Which among the following scientists discovered radioactivity?
Henri Becquerel
Fill in the blank: Protium is a/an _____ of Hydrogen while Protium, Deuterium, and Tritium comprise the Hydrogen _____.
Nuclide, Isotopes
What nuclide is obtained in each process?
I. Ra-226 undergoes three successive alpha emissions
II. Pb-196 goes through two successive electron capture
III. As-69 undergoes positron emission
Pb-214, Hg-196, Ge-6
Which among the following radioactive decay series does not occur naturally?
Neptunium Series
NepPlut (only artificial series)
To which decay series does Rn-219 and Ac-225 belong to respectively?
Actinium Series and Plutonium Series
Which among the following statements regarding Sb-122 and Xe-136 is TRUE?
Xe-136 is more stable than Sb-122 because of the amount of its neutrons
Determine whether each of the following statements is True or False
A. Calcium-42 is more abundant in natural sources in comparison to Calcium-40
B. Phosphorus-29 undergoes beta particle emission in order to become more stable
C. Potassium-46, a radioactive nuclide, undergoes positron emission in order to reach a new level of stability
False, False, False
Which among the following can detect the neutrons produced by U-235 undergoing nuclear fission?
A Geiger Counter containing Argon and Boron Trifluoride
Which among the following is the phosphor of a scintillation counter intended for the detection of gamma radiation?
NaI Crystals containing Thallium (II) Iodide
Define atomic mass unit.
One-twelfth the mass of a Carbon-12 atom
The binding energy is defined as: Eb = k*Δm. What is the constant k in MeV/amu?
k = 931.5 MeV/amu
Atomic mass of a single proton?
1.0073 amu
Atomic mass of a single neutron?
1.0087 amu
Based on the units commonly used in Nuclear Chemistry, which among the following measures the amount of energy acquired by an electron when it falls through an electric potential difference of 1 volt?
eV
Which among the following can cause the greatest damage to a material assuming that all of them can penetrate it equally?
100 rad Alpha Emission
Which among the following statements regarding Nuclear Fusion and Nuclear Fission is False?
Nuclear fusion releases more energy than Nuclear fission on a per nucleon basis
In which among the following can a Cherenkov Radiation be observed?
In the water surrounding the core of a Nuclear Reactor
The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is planned to be retrofitted in hopes of using it for the first time. One point of concern is the material that would be used in the outer portions of the room housing the fuel rods. If the radiation coming from the fuel rods would be a strong beta emission, which material among the following should be utilized?
8 mm of Lucite
Across the three most notorious accidents regarding nuclear power plants: Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima, what is the most common cause for their failure that led to several environmental problems?
Loss of proper cooling and/or moderator
Which among the following statements regarding Nuclear Fission is FALSE?
Nuclear Fission is the main proponent of nuclear power plants, atomic bombs, and hydrogen bombs
Which among the following radioactive nuclides is often attributed as the greatest source of radiation that affects most of the population?
Radon-222
Radiocative tracer
Strontium-90
Smoke detectors
Americium-241
Daughter of Ra-222
Polonium-218
A nuclear chemist from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute is dissolving a sample of NaCl, that contains the radioactive sodium-24, in 100 mL aliquot of aqueous sodium nitrate. The mixture was subsequently cooled in order to recrystallize the sodium nitrate salt. Which among the following is true?
Some of the anions will randomly bond with the sodium-24 nuclide
What other particle is formed in the fusion of two protons to yield deuterium?
neutron
What isotope is produced when Polonium-216 decays by emitting an alpha particle followed by two beta particles?
Polonium-212
Process of breaking down a large isotope into smaller isotopes.
nuclear fission
When a throrium-230 atom undergoes alpha decay, the products of the reaction are usually:
Radium and an alpha particle
Balance the following equation: 225Ac82 = ? + 4He2; when one alpha particle is lost from actinium.
225Ac89 = 221Fr87 + 4He2
Actinium is always 89, not 82.
If radon-222 disintegrates to a stable condition by emitting three alpha emissipns and two beta emission. determine the stable nucleus formed.
210Pb82
Which of the following are true?
a) Nuclear fusion produces radioactive product
b) Nuclear fusion requires very high temperature to an order of 10^6 °C
c) Nuclear fusion involves chain reaction
d) Nuclear fusion release more energy than fission
b and d only
Tell whether the following is true or false
a) Alpha decay emits 2 protons and 2 neutrons
b) Beta is more penetrating than alpha
c) Negative beta decay loses a neutron
d) Positive beta decay loses a proton
T, T, T, T
You are working in a site with strong beta particles. What material would you recommend for protection?
Aluminum
How does alpha, beta, and gamma particle affect the mass number of an atom?
4, 0, 0
Half-life of barium-222
2 minutes
Half-life of rubidium-83
86.2 days
Half-life of rubidium-87
4.81 × 10¹⁰ years
Half-life of rubidium-82
1.26 minutes
Half-life of carbon-14
5730 years
Half-life of uranium-238
4.52 × 10⁹ years
Half-life of uranium-235
703.8 × 10⁶ years
Half-life of americium-241
432 years
Half-life of tritium (hydrogen-3)
12.3 years
Half-life of potassium-40
1.26 × 10⁹ years
Half-life of cobalt-60
5.2 years
Half-life of iodine-131
8 days
Half-life of bismuth-83
1.03 years
Atomic mass of boron-10
10.01294 amu
Atomic mass of carbon-13
13.00335 amu
Magic numbers for protons
2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, 114
Magic numbers for neutrons
2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, 126, 184
Distribution of potassium-40 radioactive decay? What is the process and their products?
11.2% e⁻ capture (Ar-40)
88.8% β emission (Ca-40)
% carbon in bituminous coal
~85%
Who accidentally discovered the phenomena of radiation when he observed the clear images produced on the black paper covered photographic plates when uranium salt samples were placed on top of it?
Henri Becquerel
Who coined the term “Radioactivity”?
Marie Curie
Who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911 for the discovery of Polonium and Radium?
Marie Curie
Who is the crowned the Father of Nuclear Chemistry and the Godfather of Nuclear Fission.
Otto Hahn
They were known for discovering the radioactive isotopes of Uranium, Thorium, Protactinium, and Radium.
Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner
Who is known for an expansive work on the disintegration of elements and the chemistry around radioactive nuclide?
Ernest Rutherford
Who discovered radioactivity?
Henri Becquerel
Determine the number of neutrons of the radioactive isotope C14.
8
Which of the following devices is/are senstive enough to measure (the intensity*) of ionizing radiation?
Geiger Counter and Scintillation Counter
1 Curie in Becquerel
1 Cu = 3.7 × 10^10 Bq
1 Becquerel in disintegrations per second
1 Bq = 1 dps (or cps)
1 rad in Gray
1 rad = 0.01 Gy (or J/kg)
In rem = rad*Q, what is Q for X-rays, gamma rays, and beta particles?
1
In rem = rad*Q, what is Q for slow neutrons?
3
In rem = rad*Q, what is Q for fast neutrons and protons?
10
In rem = rad*Q, what is Q for alpha particles?
20
1 rem in Sievert
1 rem = 0.01 Sv
Normal C-14 activity in living things
15.3 disintegrations C-14/minute/g C-12
Materials to impede alpha particles
It can be stopped by any material (even our own
skin) due to its low penetration
Materials to impede beta particles
0.25 cm minimum of Aluminum
Materials to impede strong beta particles
6-12 mm of Lucite of Plexiglass.
Using ordinary aluminum will cause a phenomenon called a Bremsstrahlung Radiation aka Braking Radiation.
Materials to impede fast neutrons
It can be controlled by Water, Paraffin, and Concrete
Materials to impede slow neutrons
It can be controlled by Cadmium
Materials to impede gamma radiation
It can be stopped by a thick layer of lead.
The ghost particle; it is necessary for the conservation of properties during beta decay
Neutrino (ν)
Sequence of disintegration reactions
An alpha decay followed by two beta decays
Relationship of radiation intensity and distance
I ∝ 1/d²
Determine the number of days it will take for 1 mg of Rubidium to decay to 0.6 mg.
64
Six small bone and eight teeth samples of Homo luzonensis as obtained in Callao Cave at Penablanca, Cagayan. The carbon obtained from one of the teeth samples gave 0.008 disintegrations of Carbon-14 per minute per gram of Carbon. How old is the Homo luzonensis from Callao Cave?
Between 60,000 to
65,000 years old
A sample of Pitchblende from Bataan is being analyzed for its age. For this analysis, the amounts of Uranium-238 and Lead-206 were determined. If the results show that nuclides ratio of 0.2:1 for the U-238:Pb-206, what is the age of the mineral? Assume a half-life of 4.5x109 years for the process.
1.35x10^9 yrs
nuclide ratio is confusing.
A lunar rock from the Smithsonian Museum was rented to the Philippine National Museum of Natural History for an exhibition. For authentication of the information provided, the rock was analyzed for its potassium-40 and argon-40 content. If the lab analysis shows that the mass ratio of Argon-40 to Potassium-40 is 0.14, what is the age of the lunar rock? The half-life of Potassium-40 is 1.26x109 years.
1.47x10^9 years old
When Boron-10 is bombarded with an alpha particle, a proton and a single nuclide of carbon-13 is produced. How much energy is released for the aforementioned nuclear reaction?
4.06 MeV
Actinium-27 can decay into two nuclides. One forming Thorium-227 and the other as Francium-223. With respect to radioactive decay, the half life of Ac-227 is 21.8 years. If the fractional yield of Th-227 and Fr-223 is 0.012 and 0.988 respectively, what is the decay rate constant for each of the respective paths leading to the daughter nuclides?
3.82x10^-4 per year; 0.0314 per year
Parallel nuclear reaction.
The fission of 1 g of uranium-238 releases a tremendous amount of energy equivalent to 8.2x107 kJ. How much metric tons of bituminous coal needs to combust in order to release the same amount of energy as 1 kg of U-238?
2900 Metric Tons
Determine how many milligrams of rubidium-84 remains after 99 days from a ten mg sample. The half life is 33 days.
1.25 mg remains
Determine the number of days it will take for one mg of Rubidium to decay to 0.6 mg.
63
Determine the decay product of americium 241 and the percentage remaining of the original americium after one thousand years. It is given that americium 241 has a half-life of approximately 432 years is known to be an alpha emitter.
Neptunium 237; 25%
Determine the age of the mineral sample which contains 50.05 mg of 238 Uranium and 14.05 mg of 206 lead. Assume a half-life for the process of 238 U and 206 Pb at 4.52 x109 years.
K = 1.80 x 10-9 per year; 66.2 mg 238 U; 1.80 x 108 years old
For a batch of compromised plutonium fuel rods that are being disposed off, an 85 kg worker accidentally inhaled 100 microgram of Plutonium-239 (half-life = 2.41x10^4 year). If each disintegration produces 5.15 MeV and 16 hours has passed from the time of inhalation: What is the equivalent dose? What is the absorbed dose?
8.64x10-6 Sv; 1.28x10-7 Gy
Q = 6.75 is missing given; typographical error in equiv. dose.
Which of the following symbols provide more information about the atom: ²³Na or ₁₁Na
²³Na
