ACT Nuclear Chemistry

							ACT Prep: Nuclear Chemistry

Other

           USING SCIENCE SKILLS




                                                  Figure 10-2

        1. Drawing Conclusions A beta particle does have mass, so why is zero the mass number for a beta particle?
           Use Figure 10-2 to answer this question.
        2. Calculating Study Figure 10-2. What type of nuclear radiation completes the following decay equation?
                  Po      Pb + ?

        3. Calculating Study Figure 10-2. What type of nuclear radiation completes the following decay equation?
                  Bi      Po + ?

        4. Using Tables and Graphs Why doesn’t emission of gamma radiation change either the mass number or the
           atomic number of the nucleus? Use Figure 10-2 to answer this question.
        5. Drawing Conclusions Study Figure 10-2. Explain how the mass and atomic numbers of an alpha particle can
           be used to determine the number of neutrons in the particle.




                                                  Figure 10-3
 6. Applying Concepts What product isotope is formed by the decay of radon-222? Use Figure 10-3 to answer
    this question.
 7. Calculating Assume you have a 100-g sample of iodine-131. What product isotope is formed by the decay of
    this radioisotope? How much iodine-131 will remain unchanged after 24.21 days?
 8. Calculating Study Figure 10-3. How much nitrogen-14 will be produced from a 200-g sample of carbon-14
    after 17,190 years?
 9. Applying Concepts An artifact contains one fourth as much carbon-14 as the atmosphere. How old is the
    artifact? Use Figure 10-3 to answer this question.
10. Using Tables and Graphs What product isotope is produced by the decay of thorium-234? If an initial
    sample contains 48 g of thorium-234, how much of this product isotope will be present after 72.3 days?
ACT Prep: Nuclear Chemistry
Answer Section

OTHER

     1. ANS:

         The mass of the beta particle is so small (   amu) that it is not significant compared to the mass of a
        proton or neutron (1 amu).
     2. ANS:
        an alpha particle
     3. ANS:
        a beta particle (ß)
     4. ANS:
        Gamma radiation is not a particle. It is a ray of energy that has no charge and no mass. It does not have
        enough energy to appreciably alter the mass of a nucleus.
     5. ANS:
        The atomic number tells the number of protons. The mass number tells the total number of protons and
        neutrons. The mass number (4) minus the atomic number (2) tells you that there are 2 neutrons in an alpha
        particle.
     6. ANS:
        polonium-218
     7. ANS:
        xenon-131; 12.5 g
     8. ANS:
        175 g
     9. ANS:
        17,190 years old
    10. ANS:
        protactinium-234; 42 g