(Paper) PMT Sample Papers And Practice Questions (Nuclear Chemistry)

Paper : PMT Sample Papers And Practice Questions (Nuclear Chemistry)

  1. Uranium-235 decays via a sequence of seven alpha decays and four beta decays to produce a stable nuclide. Which of the following is the nuclide that is produced?
    1. tungsten-207
    2. lead-207
    3. actinium-235
    4. proactinium-219
    5. uranium-238

  2. The half-life of tritium is 12.3 years. If 48.0 mg of tritium is released from a nuclear power plant during the course of an accident, calculate the mass (in mg) of the nuclide that will remain after 5.0 years.

  3. Nuclides that have neutron-to-proton ratios that are too HIGH (compared with stable nuclides) are expected to undergo:
    1. alpha decay.
    2. beta decay.
    3. positron decay.
    4. electron capture.
    5. none of the above.

  4. Radon-222 is a potentially serious problem in many homes. From which of the following naturally-occurring nuclides is radon-222 produced?
    1. carbon-12
    2. potassium-40
    3. iron-56
    4. thorium-232
    5. uranium-238

  5. Consider the following types of medical procedures,

i. PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan
ii. CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography) scan
iii. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan
iv. Iodine-131 treatment of hyperthyroidism

Which of these procedures involves X-rays?

    1. i and iii
    2. ii and iv
    3. iii and iv
    4. i only
    5. ii only

  1. Isotones are nuclides that have the same number of neutrons. Which of the following pairs of nuclides are isotones?
    1. oxygen-15 and nitrogen-15
    2. oxygen-16 and oxygen-17
    3. neon-20 and sodium-23
    4. magnesium-25 and aluminum-26
    5. None of these.

  2. Some lantern mantles are manufactured using thorium-232 to increase the durability of the mantle. Thorium-232 undergoes alpha decay with a half-life of 1.4 x 1010 years. Which of the following is the product nuclide of the decay of thorium-232?
    1. radium-228
    2. actinium-232
    3. proactinium-232
    4. uranium-236
    5. None of these.

  3. Nuclear fission of uranium-235 nuclei produces ON AVERAGE:
    1. 1 neutron.
    2. 2 neutrons.
    3. 3 neutrons.
    4. 4 neutrons.
    5. 5 neutrons.

  4. Uranium-234 radioactively decays by alpha-particle emission. The neutron-to-proton ratio of the product nuclide is:
    1. smaller than that for uranium-234.
    2. greater than that for uranium-234.
    3. the same as that for uranium-234.
    4. equal to 1.0.
    5. It is impossible to tell.

  5. Which of the following can be detected by a Geiger counter?
    1. alpha particles
    2. beta particles
    3. gamma rays
    4. All of these.
    5. None of these.

  6. Which of the following statements about radon-222 is TRUE?
    1. The radioactive decay products of radon-222 are solids.
    2. Radon-222 is produced via a series of radioactive decay steps from naturally-occurring plutonium.
    3. Radon-222 is a green gas that smells like lemons.
    4. The density of radon-222 is less than the density of air.
    5. None of these are TRUE.

  7. Strontium-90 is one of the harmful nuclides resulting from nuclear fission explosions. Strontium-90 decays by beta particle emission with a half-life of 28.0 years. How long (in years) would it take for 99.0% of a sample of strontium-90 released in an atmospheric test of an atomic bomb to decay?
  8. In which of the following medical diagnostic procedures is a radioactive substance introduced into the patient's body?
    1. MRI scan
    2. PET scan
    3. CAT scan
    4. DOG scan
    5. FISH scan

  9. Fluorine-18 radioactively decays by the emission of a positron. Which of the following is the product nuclide of this decay?
    1. nitrogen-14
    2. neon-18
    3. oxygen-18
    4. fluorine-17
    5. fluorine-18

  10. The chemistry of atoms, molecules and ions is determined primarily by the number and arrangement of which of the following?
    1. positrons
    2. electrons
    3. neutrons
    4. quarks
    5. alpha particles

  11. Uranium-235 decays in a series of steps to produce the stable nuclide, lead-207. Which of the following series of decays would produce lead-207 from uranium-235?
    1. 6 alpha + 2 beta
    2. 3 alpha + 3 positron
    3. 7 alpha + 4 beta
    4. 5 alpha + 6 beta
    5. 7 alpha

  12. Which of the following statements about food irradiation is TRUE?
    1. The irradiated food is radioactive.
    2. Irradiation of food produces chemical degradation products similar to those produced from cooking food using heat.
    3. Food irradiation employs positrons.
    4. The radioactive nuclide that is used in food irradiation is thorium-230.
    5. In the U.S., there are no foods which have been approved by the FDA for treatment by irradiation.

  13. Which of the following characteristics of particles produced by radioactive decay are important for assessing the potential for biological damage to living systems?
    1. mass
    2. charge
    3. penetrating ability
    4. kinetic energy
    5. All of these.

  14. The first orange "Fiestaware" dishes contained salts of uranium as pigments. If one of these "Fiestaware" dishes initially contained 0.50 g of uranium-238, calculate how long it would take (in years) for the uranium-238 to decay to 0.25 g. For uranium-238, t1/2 = 4.5 x 109 years.

  15. Which of the following nuclides is used medicinally to treat hyperthyroidism?
    1. uranium-238
    2. americium-241
    3. carbon-14
    4. iodine-131
    5. thorium-232

  16. In lecture, the use of radiation to treat food and other consumer products was discussed. Which of the following radioactive nuclides is currently being used for food irradiation?
    1. uranium-238
    2. radon-222
    3. carbon-14
    4. cobalt-60
    5. americium-241

  17. Carbon-14 radioactively decays via the emission of a beta particle. Which of the following is the product nuclide of this decay?
    1. beryllium-10
    2. boron-14
    3. carbon-13
    4. carbon-14
    5. nitrogen-14

  18. In fluorine-18, the neutron-to-proton ratio is too low and this nuclide undergoes radioactive decay. Which of the following decay processes would be expected to produce a nuclide with a neutron-to-proton ratio GREATER THAN that for fluorine-18?
    1. alpha decay
    2. beta decay
    3. gamma decay (only)
    4. positron decay
    5. None of these.

  19. Thorium-232 decays in a series of steps to produce the unstable nuclide, radon-220. Which of the following series of decays would produce radon-220 from thorium-232?
    1. 3 alpha + 2 beta
    2. 4 alpha + 2 beta
    3. 5 alpha + 2 beta
    4. 2 alpha + 3 beta
    5. 1 alpha + 2 beta

  20. The radioactive nuclide, radon-222, is a problem in the basements of many homes. Calculate how long (in days) it would take for a 3.65 g sample of radon-222 to decay to 1.34 g? Radon-222 decays by a first-order process with a half-life of 3.82 days.

  21. An archeologist unearths a bone sample and wants to know the age of the bone. Her chemist friend determines that 45.3% of the initial amount of carbon-14 is present in the bone sample. If the half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years, calculate the age (in years) of the bone.

  22. The following are produced by radioactive decay processes. Which one has the GREATEST mass?
    1. alpha particle
    2. beta particle
    3. gamma ray
    4. neutron
    5. positron

  23. In lecture, you observed an instrument gauge from a World War II vintage aircraft which had been painted with a radioactive element. Which of the following elements was used in the paint?
    1. uranium
    2. plutonium
    3. radium
    4. polonium
    5. neptunium

  24. Naturally occurring uranium-238 decays in a series of steps to produce the stable nuclide, lead-206 . Which of the following series of decays would produce lead-206 from uranium-238?
    1. 3 alpha + 4 beta
    2. 4 alpha + 3 beta
    3. 5 alpha + 2 beta
    4. 2 alpha + 5 beta
    5. 8 alpha + 6 beta

  25. One of the factors that determines how effective a particular type of radiation will be in causing biological damage is the mass of the particle. Which of the following has the GREATEST mass?
    1. alpha particle
    2. beta particle
    3. positron
    4. gamma ray
    5. neutron

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