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Large radionuclides emit an alpha particle rather than other combinations of nucleons because the alpha particle has such a stable, tightly bound structure. To confirm this statement, calculate the disintegration energies for these hypothetical decay processes and discuss the meaning of your findings:

(a)U238Th232+He3(b)U235Th231+He4(c)U235Th230+He5

The needed atomic masses are

role="math" localid="1661928659878" Th232232.0381uHe33.0160uTh231231.0363uHe44.0026uTh230230.0331uHe55.0122uU235235.0429u

Short Answer

Expert verified
  1. The disintegration energy for the hypothetical decay U235Th232+He3is - 9.50 MeV.
  2. The disintegration energy for the hypothetical decay U235Th231+He4is 4.66 MeV.
  3. The disintegration energy for the hypothetical decay U235Th230+He5is - 1.30 MeV.

Step by step solution

01

Given data

The given atomic masses of the nuclides and alpha particles are:

Th232232.0381uHe33.0160uTh231231.0363uHe44.0026uTh230230.0331uHe55.0122uU235235.0429u

02

Understanding the concept of decay  

Massive nuclides tend to undergo alpha decay releasing disintegration energy. The disintegration energy, also known as the Q-value, is the energy that is absorbed or released when a nuclear reaction takes place. The Q-value is positive if the reaction is exothermic and negative if the reaction is endothermic. The potential barrier height of the nucleus indicates the energy it needs to overcome the internal forces and become an individual nucleus from the parent nucleus.

Formula:

The disintegration energy of a nuclear reaction,

Q=mparentnucleus-mdaughternucleic2 鈥︹ (i)

03

a) Calculate the disintegration energy

The disintegration energyfor uranium-235 鈥渄ecaying鈥 into thorium-232is given using the atomic masses and equation (i) as follows:

Q=m235U-m232Th-m3Hec2

Substitute the values and solve as:

Q=235.0429u-232.0381u-3.0160u931.5MeVu=-9.50MeV

Hence, the disintegration energy is - 9.50 MeV.

04

b) Calculate the disintegration energy

The disintegration energyfor uranium-235 decaying into thorium-231is given using the atomic masses and equation (i) as follows:

Q=m235U-m231Th-m4Hec2

Substitute the values and solve as:

Q=235.0429u-231.0363u-4.0026u931.5MeVu=4.66MeV

Hence, the disintegration energy is 4.66 MeV.

05

c) Calculate the disintegration energy

The disintegration energyfor uranium-235 decaying into thorium-230is given using the atomic masses and equation (i) as follows:

Q=m235U-m230Th-m5Hec2

Substitute the values and solve as:

role="math" localid="1661929289112" Q=235.0429u-230.0331u-5.0122u931.5MeVu=-1.30MeV

Hence, the disintegration energy is - 1.30 MeV.

Only the second decay process (the decay) is spontaneous, as it releases energy considering the positive sign of Q-value.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

The radionuclide C11decays according to

C11B11+e++v,T1/2=20.3

The maximum energy of the emitted positrons is 0.960 MeV. (a) Show that the disintegration energy Qfor this process is given by

role="math" localid="1661759171201" Q=(mC-mB-2me)c2

WheremCandmBare the atomic masses ofC11andB11, respectively, andmeis the mass of a positron. (b) Given the mass valuesmC=11.011434u,mB=11.009305uandme=0.0005486u, calculate Qand compare it with the maximum energy of the emitted positron given above. (Hint:LetmC andmBbe the nuclear masses and then add in enough electrons to use the atomic masses.)

Figure 42-16 gives the activities of three radioactive samples versus time. Rank the samples according to their (a) half-life and (b) disintegration constant, greatest first. (Hint:For (a), use a straightedge on the graph.)

What is the likely mass number of a spherical nucleus with a radius of 3.6 fm as measured by electron-scattering methods?

A rock recovered from far underground is found to contain 0.86 mg of U238, 0.15 mg ofP206b , and 1.6 mg ofA40r . How muchK40 will it likely contain? Assume thatK40 decays to onlyA40r with a half-life of1.25109y . Also assume thatU238 has a half-life of4.47109y .

The isotope U238decays to P206bwith a half-life of4.47109Y. Although the decay occurs in many individual steps, the first step has by far the longest half-life; therefore, one can often consider the decay to go directly to lead. That is,U238P206b+variousdecayproducts

A rock is found to contain 4.20mgofU238and 2.135mgofP206b. Assume that the rock contained no lead at formation, so all the lead now present arose from the decay of uranium. How many atoms of (a)U238and (b)P206bdoes the rock now contain? (c) How many atoms ofU238did the rock contain at formation? (d) What is the age of the rock?

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