CHEM 120 Unit 6, Lab 2 - Laboratory 8; Nuclear Chemistry
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$15.00
| Institution | Chamberlain |
| Contributor | Karin Austin |
Objectives:
- Understand the differences between chemical reactions and nuclear reactions
- Understand the concept of radioactive decay
- Know the change associated with an alpha, beta or gamma decay of a nucleus
- Write the product of a nuclear reaction involving alpha, beta or gamma emission
- Understand the concept of half-lives and do simple half-life calculations
Not all atoms are stable. When atoms are born in a nuclear reactor, whether it be the heart of a star or a power plant, a portion of them are radioactive and are referred to as radioisotopes. These radioisotopes are not stable and break down over time, releasing energy and transforming into more stable forms in a class of processes known as radioactive decay. Depending on the specific radioisotope, this process can be near instantaneous or take trillions of years.
In this lab, we will explore radioactive decay as we learn about various types of radioactivity and half-life.
Exploration 1: Complete the table (Table 1) below for differences between chemical reactions and nuclear reactions
Exploration 2: How does alpha, beta, gamma, positron emission or electron capture affect a nucleus?
- How do you write a general nuclide symbol? In the space below, use X for symbol of an element, Z for atomic number and A for mass number.
- An isotope of strontium has 38 protons and 52 neutrons. What is the nuclide symbol for the atom of this isotope? Provide the answer in the space given below.
- Suppose Thorium-232 decays by emitting a single alpha particle. Write the nuclear equation for the decay of Thorium-232.
- Suppose fluorine-19 undergoes beta decay. Write the reaction that represents this process.
- Suppose fluorine-19 undergoes gamma decay. Write the nuclear equation that represents this process.
- Suppose Sodium-23 undergoes positron emission. Write the nuclear equation that represents this process.
- Suppose Potassium-41 undergoes electron capture. Write the nuclear equation that represents this process.
Exploration 3: Modeling half life
Exploration 4: Half-life and medical imaging
- Technetium-99m has a half-life of 6 hours. Use this to answer the following questions:
- What percentage of an injection of Technituum-99m would remain in your body 24 hours after injection?
- In terms of radiation exposure, why is this short half-life beneficial?
- Due to the short half-life of Technetium-99m, this material cannot be easily transported. However, Molybdenum-99 undergoes beta decay to form technetium-99m and has a half-life of about 2.75 days. Unfortunately, the world’s supply of molybdenum-99 is in jeopardy as the nuclear facilities that produce this material are beginning to cease operations. Use this information to answer the following questions:
- Show the beta decay of Molybdenum-99
- If you have a 100 gram sample of Molybdenum-99, how many grams will remain after 11 days?
- Would a good solution to the coming shortage of Molybdenum-99 be for hospitals to stock pile large amounts of Molybdenum-99? Why or why not?
| Instituition / Term | |
| Term | Session 2019 |
| Institution | Chamberlain |
| Contributor | Karin Austin |
