24.137 CP At death, a nobleman in ancient ... [FREE SOLUTION]

Chapter 24: 24.137 CP (page 1107)

At death, a nobleman in ancient Egypt was mummified and his body contained $1.4 脳 10^{- 3} g$ of ${}^{40}K (t_{1 / 2} = 1.25 脳 10^{9} y r), 1.2 脳 10^{- 8} g$ of ${}^{14}C (t_{1 / 2} = 5730 y r)$ , and $4.8 脳 10^{- 14} g$ of ${}^{3}H (t_{1 / 2} = 12.26 y r)$ . Which nuclide would give the most accurate estimate of the mummy鈥檚 age? Explain

Short Answer

Expert verified

Carbon-14 which has a half-life of 5730 years would be the best choice.

Step by step solution

Definition of half-life

Half-life in nuclear chemistry refers to the time that gets consumed when the substance鈥檚 concentration lowers to half or 50% of the concentration. It is represented as t_1/2.

Explanation for the most accurate estimate of the mummy’s age.

The age of Egyptian mummies exists thousand years ago so the best choice is an isotope that has a half-life of a few thousand years ago. Carbon-14 is the nuclide that has a half-life of 5730 years, and it would be the best choice.

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Time(h)	y emission (photons / s)
0	5000
4	3150
8	2000
12	1250
16	788
20	495

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Short Answer

Step by step solution

Definition of half-life

Explanation for the most accurate estimate of the mummy’s age.

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91影视

At death, a nobleman in ancient Egypt was mummified and his body contained 1.4脳10-3gof K40(t1/2=1.25脳109yr),1.2脳10-8gof C14(t1/2=5730yr), and 4.8脳10-14g of H3(t1/2=12.26yr). Which nuclide would give the most accurate estimate of the mummy鈥檚 age? Explain

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Definition of half-life

Explanation for the most accurate estimate of the mummy’s age.

One App. One Place for Learning.

Most popular questions from this chapter

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

Inorganic Chemistry

Making Measurements

Ionic and Molecular Compounds

Physical Chemistry

Chemical Reactions

Chemistry Branches

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.