Radioactive Decay
The nucleus of a radium-226 atom is unstable, which causes the nucleus to spontaneously
A) absorb electrons
B) absorb protons
C) decay
D) oxidize
C) decay
A serious risk factor associated with the operation of a nuclear power plant is the production of
A) acid rain
B) helium gas
C) greenhouse gases, such as CO2
D) radioisotopes with long half-lives
D) radioisotopes with long half-lives
What is the half-life of carbon-14?
5715 years
Which risk is associated with using nuclear fission to produce energy in a power plant?
A) depletion of hydrocarbons
B) depletion of atmospheric oxygen
C) exposure of workers to radiation
D) exposure of workers to sulfur dioxide
All of the following are beneficial applications of radioactivity except
A) tracing the path of an element through a complex reaction
B) destroying tumor cells with radiation therapy
C) mutations in reproductive cells by radiation
D) using dental x-rays to diagnose the health of teeth and gums
C) mutations in reproductive cells by radiation
Harms people rather than helping them
What is the decay mode of potassium-37?
Positron Decay/Beta Plus Decay
Radioisotopes used for medical diagnosis must have
A) long half-lives and be quickly eliminated by the body
B) long half-lives and be slowly eliminated by the body
C) short half-lives and be quickly eliminated by the body
D) short half-lives and be slowly eliminated by the body
C) short half-lives and be quickly eliminated by the body
Is the half-life of cobalt-60 or krypton-85 longer?
The half-life of krypton-85 is longer than the half-life of cobalt-60
Which statement best describes what happens in a fission reaction?
A) Heavy nuclei split into lighter nuclei.
B) Light nuclei form into heavier nuclei.
C) Energy is released and less stable elements are formed.
D) Energy is absorbed and more stable elements are formed.
A) Heavy nuclei split into lighter nuclei
A radioisotope is called a tracer when it is used to
A) determine the way in which a chemical reaction occurs
B) kill cancerous tissue
C) determine the age of animal skeletal remains
D) kill bacteria in food
A) determine the way in which a chemical reaction occurs, tracks the movements of molecules or organisms in a system
As carbon-14 decays to nitrogen-14, what happens to the number of protons in the nucleus?
Increases by 1
What evidence indicates that the nuclei of strontium-90 atoms are unstable?
A) Strontium-90 electrons are in the excited state.
B) Strontium-90 electrons are in the ground state
C) Strontium-90 atoms spontaneously absorb beta particles.
D) Strontium-90 atoms spontaneously emit beta particles.
D) Strontium-90 atoms spontaneously emit beta particles, on Table N the radioisotope undergoes beta decay.
Is the half-life of radon-222 or iodine-131 longer?
The half-life of iodine-131 is longer than the half-life of radon-222
What is the primary result of a fission reaction?
A) conversion of mass to energy
B) conversion of energy to mass
C) binding together of two heavy nuclei
D) binding together of two light nuclei
A) conversion of mass to energy
The radioactive isotope carbon-14 can be used for
A) determining the age of a sample
B) determining medical disorders
C) controlling fission reactions
D) controlling speeds of neutrons
A) determining the age of a sample
Atoms of I-131 spontaneously decay when the
A) stable nuclei emit alpha particles
B) stable nuclei emit beta particles
C) unstable nuclei emit alpha particles
D) unstable nuclei emit beta particles
D) unstable nuclei emit beta particles
Which radioisotope requires long-term storage as the method of disposal, to protect living things from radiation exposure over time?
A) Pu-239
B) Fr-220
C) Fe-53
D) P-32
A) Pu-239 has the longest half-life
If the half-life of a radioactive substance is 20 minutes, how much of a 1 gram substance will remain after an hour?
12.5% of 1 gram is 0.125 grams
The isotopes of which element is used in fusion?
Hydrogen
Which radioisotope is used in medicine to treat thyroid disorders?
A) cobalt-60
B) iodine-131
C) phosphorus-32
D) uranium-238
B) iodine-131
Referring to Table N, which substance is a radioactive waste product that is safest to release into the atmosphere after it has decayed to a safe radiation level?
A) radon-222
B) radium-226
C) cesium-137
D) cobalt-60
A) radon-222
Alpha decay and shortest half-life
Which isotope will spontaneously decay and emit particles with a charge of +2?
(A) Fe-53
(C) Au-198
(B) Cs-137
(D) Fr-220
D) Fr-220 (alpha decay releases a He nucleus with +2 charge)
A 80 mg sample of a radioactive substance decays to 10 mg after 60 days, what is the half-life of the radioactive substance?
Since there are 3 half-lives in 60 days, the half-life is 20 days
The amount of energy released from a fission reaction is much greater than the energy released from a chemical reaction because in a fission reaction
A) mass is converted into energy
B) energy is converted into mass
C) ionic bonds are broken
D) covalent bonds are broken
A) mass is converted into energy
Which radioactive isotope is used in treating cancer?
A) carbon-14
B) cobalt-60
C) lead-206
D) uranium-238
B) cobalt-60 (process of elimination and it kills pathogens)