Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

School In General > [CHEM] Unit 16 - Nuclear Chemistry > Flashcards

[CHEM] Unit 16 - Nuclear Chemistry Flashcards

(68 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

For (natural) radioactive decay to occur, nuclei need to be: stable/unstable

A

Unstable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

T/F: Nuclei with long half-lives undergo decay quickly and are the least stable

A

F: Nuclei with short half-lives undergo decay quickly and are the least stable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

If an element has an atomic number equal to or more than 83, what does that mean?

A

It is ustable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What type of emissions are negative?

A

Beta

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What type of emissions are positive?

A

Alpha, positrons, protons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What type of emissions are neutral?

A

Neutrons, gamma

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are the symbols for alpha particles?

A

Greek letter A

or

He

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How are alpha particles ranked in terms of penetrating power?

A

They have the lowest power

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

How are alpha particles ranked in terms of ionizing potential?

A

They have the greatest potential

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What mass and charge do alpha particles have?

A

Mass: 4

Charge: +2

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is an alpha particle?

A

A helium nuclei

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are the symbols for beta particles?

A

Greek letter B

or

e

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are beta particles?

A

High-speed electrons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How are beta particles ranked in terms of penetrating power?

A

They are in the middle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How are beta particles ranked in terms of ionizing potential?

A

They are in the middle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What mass and charge do beta particles have?

A

Mass: 0

Charge: -1

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

T/F: Gamma is a particle

A

F: Gamma is a ray

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is the symbol for gamma rays?

A

Y

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What mass and charge do gamma rays have?

A

Mass: 0

Charge: 0

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What are gamma rays?

A

Essentially high-energy xrays

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

How are gamma rays ranked in terms of penetrating power?

A

They have the greatest power

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

How are gamma rays ranked in terms of ionizing potential?

A

They have the lowest potential

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is the symbol for neutron particles?

A

lowercase n

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What mass and charge do neutrons have?

A

Mass: 1

Charge: 0

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What are the symbols for positrons?
Greek letter B or e+
26
What are positrons?
Positive electrons (antimatter)
27
What mass and charge do positrons have?
Mass: 0 Charge: +1
28
What are protons?
Hydrogen nucleuses
29
What is the symbol for protons?
P
30
What mass and charge do protons have?
Mass: 1 Charge: +1
31
T/F: In a decay reaction, the mass and atomic numbers on both sides must add up
T
32
Natural transmutations have 1/2 reactants
1
33
Artificial transmutations have 1/2 reactants
ALWAYS 2
34
T/F: Artificial transmutation reactions can have 1 product
T
35
How does one cause an artificial transmutation?
Bombard a nucleus with a small particle, causing it to change and produce an isotope
36
T/F: The small particles used in artificial transmutations can have small amounts of energy
F: They must have high amounts of energy to not bounce off the positive nucleus
37
What is an example of a tracer and what are they used for?
Ex: barium Uses: GI tract, agriculture, factories
38
What is used for dating organic material and how is it used?
C-14 The amounts of C-14 are compared to the amounts of C-12
39
What is used for dating inorganic material and how is it used?
Uranium-238 Amount of U-238 vs Pb-206
40
What can Tc-99 be used for?
Diagnosing cancer
41
What can Co-60 be used for?
Treating cancer
42
T/F: I-131 can be used to treat and diagnose liver cancers
F: it is used to treat and diagnose *thyroid* cancers
43
What is food irradiation used for?
Killing bacteria, yeast, mold, etc on food
44
T/F: There are factors that can affect half life
F: half-life can never be changed
45
In a fusion/fission reaction, what is the change in mass known as?
Mass defect
46
What is fusion?
Two or more small nuclei (usually H) combine to form a larger one (usually He)
47
Fusion releases a lot/a little energy
A lot
48
Where can fusion reactions be found?
On the Sun
49
What is the one condition for using fusion in bombs?
Fission has to start it
50
What are the benefits of fusion?
- Makes the most energy - No radioactive waste
51
What are the negatives of fusion?
Needs extremely high temperature and pressure
52
What is fission?
A large nucleus splits into medium-sized nuclei
53
What does a fission reaction look like?
Neutrons + U --> Kr/Ba + neutrons + energy
54
T/F: Fission makes more energy than fusion
F
55
T/F: Fission is a chain reaction
T
56
What is fission used for?
- Bombs (uncontrolled) - Power plants (controlled)
57
What are the benefits of fission?
- No consumption of fossil fuels - Less pollution - More energy vs chemical reactions
58
What are the negatives of fission?
It produces long-lasting radioactive waste
59
What does a control rod do and what are some examples?
Used to absorb/remove neutrons to slow down fission Ex: boron, cadmium
60
What does a moderator do and what are some examples?
Slows down neutrons so that they can be captured Ex: water, heavy water, graphite, beryllium
61
What is heavy water?
Basically water but with different H isotopes like deuterium
62
What is shielding (in a nuclear power plant)?
It is a steel **and** concrete layer (separate layers) that prevents leaks
63
What does a coolant do and what are some examples?
Controls temperature Ex: Water, heavy water, molten sodium/lithium
64
What does a fusion reaction look like?
H + H --> He + energy
65
How do you determine what is left of an isotope if given the half-life and amount of time passed?
1) Divide the time passed by the half-life 2) Divide 1 by however many half-lives passed 3) Multiply that by the given mass
66
How do you determine how long it takes for an isotope to decay if given the half-life, starting mass and end mass?
1) Divide the starting mass by 1/2 until you reach the end mass 2) How many arrows = amount of half-lives passed 3) Multiply amount of half-lives by half-live #
67
How do you determine a half-live if given the amount of time, starting mass and end mass?
1) Divide the starting mass by 1/2 until you get end mass 2) How many arrows = how many half-lives 3) Divide amount of time given by # of arrows
68
How do you get the starting amount if given the half-life, amount of time, and end mass?
1) Determine # of half-lives passed by dividing the time passed by the length of half-life 2) Number of half-lives passed = amount of times you need to double the end mass

School In General (18 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions