SAT Paper Nuclear Chemistry Part-II

SAT Papers: Nuclear Chemistry Part-IIChemistry MCQ: Nuclear Chemistry 1. The function of the MODERATOR in a nuclear power plant is to: carry the heat produced from the fission reactions to an external turbine. absorb neutrons and thereby control the fission reactions. protect the workers and the environment from radiation. slow down the neutrons produced from the fission reactions so that they can be absorbed by more fuel. None of the above responses is correct. 2. In lecture, you observed an "EXIT" sign that contained a radioactive nuclide. Which of the following nuclides was used in the "EXIT" sign? uranium-238 potassium-40 hydrogen-3 (tritium) phosphorus-32 carbon-14 3. The neutron often plays a key role in radioactive decay because it is: attracted by the strong force. capable of converting to a proton and an electron. unaffected by the coulombic force. able to act as a nuclear "glue". All of these statements are true. 4. When polonium-216 decays by the emission of one alpha particle and two beta particles, the product is the isotope: polonium-210 polonium-212 polonium-214 polonium-218 polonium-220 5. The nuclide sulfur-35 is neutron-rich, therefore, it is likely to undergo radioactive decay by: beta emission. electron capture. positron emission. neutron emission. alpha emission. 6. Based on the number of protons only, which of the following unknown nuclides is MOST likely to undergo radioactive decay? silicon-30 germanium-72 barium-130 radon-216 All of the above. 7. In a graph of binding energy per nucleon vs. atomic mass, Fe, has the highest binding energy per nucleon of all nuclei. This means that: Fe is more stable than any other nuclide. Nuclei lighter than Fe become more stable by fission processes. Fe decays by positron emission. Nuclei heavier than Fe become more stable by fusion processes. All of these statements are true. 8. The mass of one atom of chromium-52 is 51.9405 amu. The binding energy per nucleon for the chromium-52 nucleus is: 7.1 MeV 7.9 MeV 8.8 MeV 10.1 MeV 12.4 MeV 9. Which of the following processes is an example of nuclear fusion? bismuth-209 + helium-4 --> astatine-211 + 2 neutrons hydrogen-2 + hydrogen-2 --> hydrogen-3 + hydrogen-1 plutonium-239 + neutron --> americium-240 + beta particle uranium-239 --> neptunium-239 + beta particle None of the reactions involve fusion. 10. Uranium-238 has a binding energy of approximately 7.5 MeV per nucleon. What spontaneous radioactive decay process would be predicted to occur as a result of bombarding uranium-238 with neutrons? beta particle emission a fission reaction electron capture a fusion reaction positron emission 11. Ionizing radiation is many times more dangerous to biological systems than non-ionizing radiation. The radiation that causes the most damage, if ingested, is: alpha particles. beta particles. gamma rays. protons. ultraviolet. 12. Orange-colored Fiesta tableware causes a Geiger counter to emit a rapid clicking sound. The BEST explanation of this phenomenon is that the pottery: has a lead glaze. undergoes fusion. is made with uranium ores. emits neutrons. is painted with radium-based paints. 13. Isotopes with neutron to proton ratios that are too low would be expected to undergo radioactive decay by which one of the following processes? That is, which of the following processes would result in an increase in the neutron to proton ratio? neutron emission beta particle emission alpha particle emission gamma ray emission positron emission 14. The presence of radon-222 in homes poses a serious health risk. Radon-222 decays by alpha particle emission with a half-life of 3.8 days. Which of the following is the product nuclide from this decay? astatine-221 francium-222 astatine-222 radon-221 polonium-218 15. Naturally occurring uranium-238 decays in a series of steps to produce the stable nuclide, lead-206. The product nuclide that results after the seventh step in this decay series is polonium-218. Which of the following series of decays would produce polonium-218 from uranium-238? 3 alpha + 4 beta 4 alpha + 3 beta 5 alpha + 2 beta 2 alpha + 5 beta 1 alpha + 6 beta 16. Which of the following types of radiation generally has the greatest potential for biological damage? alpha particles beta particles gamma rays positrons neutrons 17. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a medical diagnostic technique that is based on which one of the following processes? neutron bombardment fission annhilation fusion electron scattering 18. An isotope of an element decays by emitting an alpha particle and forming lead-208. The original element was: Bi Hg Po Rn Tl 19. The only stable isotope of fluorine is fluorine-19. What type of radioactivity would you expect from the isotope fluorine-18, which has one less neutron? protons neutrons beta particles positrons alpha particles 20. The isotope with the greatest nuclear binding energy per nucleon is: hydrogen-2 helium-4 carbon-14 iron-56 uranium-238 21. The carbon-14 activity of some ancient Peruvian corn was found to be 10 disintegrations/minute/gram. If present-day plant life shows 15 disintegrations/minute/gram, how old is the Peruvian corn? The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years. 1,455 years 1,910 years 3,350 years 3,820 years 9,080 years 22. Which type of nuclear process requires a temperature of over a million degrees? beta particle production fission reaction alpha particle emission fusion reaction positron production 23. In passing through matter, alpha particles lose energy and damage tissues by producing: neutrons. gamma rays. radiation. beta particles. ions. 24. It is well-known that uranium isotopes can undergo fission reactions and that hydrogen isotopes can undergo fusion reactions. These reactions are examples of a drive toward: equilibrium. thermodynamic stability. negative S. kinetic stability. positive G. 25. Which of the following balanced equations indicates a FUSION reaction? bismuth-209 + helium-4 --> astatine-211 + 2 neutrons helium-2 + hydrogen-2 --> hydrogen-3 + hydrogen-1 plutonium-239 + neutron --> americium-240 + beta particle uranium-239 --> neptunium-239 + beta particle beryllium-7 + electron --> lithium-7 26. Which statement is FALSE? The larger the binding energy per nucleon, the more stable the nucleus. The alpha particle has a charge of 2+. The mass of a nucleus is always less than the original mass of its constituent protons and neutrons. Alpha particle production is the only route by which unstable nuclei can spontaneously decay. Alpha particles are more massive than beta particles. 27. Iron-49 decays by positron emission with a half-life of 0.08 seconds. What nuclide is produced in this decay process? manganese-49 cobalt-49 chromium-45 iron-48 None of these. 28. The following are produced in radioactive decay processes. Which one has neither mass nor charge? alpha particles beta particles gamma rays positrons neutrons 29. The function of the CONTROL RODS in a nuclear power plant is to: slow the neutrons down so that they can cause fission. absorb the heat produced so that it can be carried to an external turbine. absorb neutrons to control the amount of fission that is occuring. provide the fuel needed for fission to occur. None of the above. 30. Smoke detectors contain a small amount of americium-241. What is the final product nuclide if americium-241 radioactively decays by a total of eight alpha decays and four beta decays? rhenium-209 gold-209 bismuth-209 plutonium-237 americium-225