You are on page 1of 4

HIGHER GRADE CHEMISTRY CALCULATIONS

Radioactivity and Half-Life

Half-life is the time taken for half of a radioisotope to decay. This value is
constant for that particular radioisotope.
Usually questions about radioactivity involve
Half-life

The time over which the radioactivity has been measured

The quantity or intensity of the radiation.

Worked example 1.
A radioisotope has a half-life of 4 days. The radioisotope had an initial
count rate of 800 counts per minute. What will be the count rate after 16
days?

At start count rate = 800 counts min-1.

After 4 days = 400 counts min-1.

After 8 days = 200 counts min-1.

After 12 days = 100 counts min-1.

After 16 days = 50 counts min-1.


Worked example 2.
Thallium-208 has a half life of 3.1 minutes and decays by beta emission to
form a stable isotope.
(a) What mass of a 2.08 g sample of Tl-208 will remain unchanged after
9.3 minutes?
(b) How many atoms will have decayed.
(c) Identify the stable isotope formed by the decay of Tl-208 by beta
emission.

(a) At start mass = 2.08g

After 3.1 days = 1.04g


After 6.2 days = 0.52g

After 9.3 days = 0.26g

(b) At start no. of atoms = 2.08


/208 x 6.02 x 1023 = 6.02 x 1021

After 3.1 days no. of atoms of Tl-208 left undecayed= 3.01 x 10 21

After 6.2 days no. of atoms of Tl-208 left undecayed= 1.505 x 10 21

After 9.3 days no. of atoms of Tl-208 left undecayed= 0.7525 x 10 21

No. of atoms of Tl-208 which have decayed= 6.02 x 10 21 -0.7525 x 1021.


Higher Grade Chemistry 5.2675 x 1021
(c) Pb-208 has been formed.
Calculations for you to try.
1. Th-234 has a half-life of 24.1 days. What mass of a 20.4g sample will remain
after 96.4 days?

At start mass = 20.4 g

After 24.1 days mass left = 10.2 g


After 48.2 days mass left = 5.1 g

After 72.3 days mass left = 2.55 g

After 96.4 days mass left = 1.275 g

2. A sample of Pu-242 has a mass of 1.21 g.


(a) How many atoms of Pu-242 are there in the sample?
(b) How many atoms of Pu-242 will remain after 3 half lives.
(c) Use the half life in the data book for Pu-242 to calculate
the time it would take to reduce the number of Pu-242 atoms
in the sample to 1/8 of its original value.
(a) No of atoms = 1.21
/242 x 6.02 x 1023. = 3.01 x 1021

(b) No of atoms at start = 3.01 x 1021

After 3 half lives no. of atoms = 1/8 x 3.01 x 1021


= 3.76 x 1020
Higher Grade Chemistry (c) 1
/8 of original value means that 3 half lives have passed.
3 x 3.79 x 105 years = 1.137 x 106 years
Calculations for you to try.
3. The count rate due to carbon-14 in ancient wooden timber was found to be
100 counts per minute. A sample of modern wood had a count rate of 1600
counts per minute. Given that carbon-14 has a half life of 5570 years,
calculate the age of the ancient timber.

At start count rate = 1600 counts min-1.

After 1 half-life = 800 counts min-1.

After 2 half-life = 400 counts min-1.

After 3 half-life = 200 counts min-1.

After 4 half-life = 100 counts min-1.

Age of timber = 4 x 5570 = 22 280 years.

4. A radioisotope used in a laboratory has a half life of 6.75 hours.


It had a count rate of 2000 counts per minute at 8.00 a.m. on Monday.
What would be the count rate at 11 a.m. the following day?
Between 8.00 a.m. and 11.00 am the next day 27 hours have passed.

Number of half-lives in 27 hours = 27


/6,75 = 4

Higher Grade Chemistry Count rate 2000 1000 500 250 125 counts min-1.

You might also like