Chemistry Final
From a historical perspective, which of the following sequences describes the study of fission?
discovery of radiation, discovery of fission, nuclear weapons, nuclear energy
Changes in the mass defect for uranium compared to its fission products are _________ .
extremely small and release large amounts of energy
The high energy discharge during fission is only one issue with nuclear weapons. What is the term for the airborne radioactive particles and lingering contamination from a nuclear explosion that are also of concern?
fallout
What is thought to be the primary method of damage caused by acute radiation exposure?
free radicals and ions damage enzymes and DNA
Cosmic rays are a type of ionizing radiation that closely resembles _________ radiation.
gamma
Which of the following types of radiation is best described by the condition below: High penetrating power and low Ionizing power
gamma radiation
Which of the following types of radiation most closely resembles X-rays?
gamma radiation
Which of the major types of radiation almost always takes place in conjunction with another radioactive decay?
gamma radiation
Which of the following is the best ranking of types of radiation from highest penetrating power to lowest?
gamma radiation > beta radiation > alpha radiation
Which of the following class of elements is most likely to serve as an oxidant?
halogens
What feature of nuclear fission is harnessed in a nuclear reactor to produce energy?
heat from the pile can be converted into electricity
When considering the risk of radioactive materials, which two factors are most important to consider?
ionizing power and penetrating power
You are given a small, solid pellet of a radioactive material that primarily acts as a beta emitter. Which of the following protocols is the minimum safe handling procedure?
it should be encased in plastic or glass
What is the behavior of an anti-oxidant?
it undergoes oxidation
What feature allows isotopes to be separated during isotopic enrichment?
mass
The mass defect is due to ________.
mass being converted to energy to bind the nucleus together
Which of the following statements can best describes the following type of radiation? gamma radiation
massless light energy that has a very high energy
Which of the following is not a common redox reaction?
neutralization
Within the atom, it is the _________ that typically gives rise to beta particles.
neutrons
Nausea and fatigue would be the likely result of ________ ?
radiation exposure of approximately 60 rem
Which of the following is a symptom of somatic damage from acute radiation?
reduced white blood cell counts
In nuclear chemistry, which of the following statements best describes ENERGY changes observed:
small changes in the mass of the nucleus result in release of large amounts of energy
In the tarnishing of silver, what is the most likely oxidant that causes the blackening of silver as it tarnishes?
sulfur compounds in the air
Which country produces the most power from nuclear energy?
the United States
Which trait of nonmetals in their native state makes them more likely to serve as reducing agents?
the ease at which the form anions
Which trait of metals in their native state makes them more likely to serve as reducing agents?
the ease at which they form cations
Which of the following is NOT a feature of the half-life of an isotope?
the half-life of different isotopes of the same element are all the same
What is a common feature of radioactive elements?
the nucleus is unstable
The underlying cause of radioactivity can be described as the spontaneous change in ______ ?
the nucleus of an atom
What is the primary method for describing and comparing the amount of biological damage produced by exposure to radiation?
the rem
In nuclear chemistry, which of the following statements best describes MASS changes observed:
the total mass of the nucleus is often less than the sum of its parts
For oxidation to occur ______ .
there must be a reduction
In the digestion of alcohol, what happens to the ethanol molecules?
they became oxidized
What is the main characteristic of a free-radical?
they have unpaired electrons
What is the purpose of the control rods in a nuclear pile?
to absorb neutrons and keep fission from happening
What is the purpose of the carbon rods in the nuclear pile?
to slow neutrons to make them more likely to start fission
The role of the oxidizing agent is to ______ .
undergo reduction
Combustion and cellular respiration are similar because they both ______
use oxygen to oxidize fuels
How many nuclear weapons have been used on populated enemy targets during wartimes?
2
For the United States of America, what proportion of electricity is produced from nuclear energy?
20%
What is the approximate amount of exposure to radiation for a person living in the United States that is thought to be due to background radiation?
50% of the typical exposure
Estimate the typical amount of exposure to radiation for a person living in the United States, per year?
600 milirem
Why do some environmentalists actually support the utilization of nuclear power? a. Other forms of power are far more destructive to the environment. b. Nuclear power reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. c. Nuclear power produces a lower 'footprint' on the land for the same amount of power produced than other fuel sources. d. All of the above. e. None of the above.
All of the above
With respect to the concept of the Conservation of Mass, which of the following statements accurately describes one of the major differences of nuclear chemistry from other forms of chemistry. a. Nuclear reactions can produce different elements than those you start with. b. The sum of the masses of the products might not equal the sum of the masses of the reactants. c. Some of the mass is converted into energy in some nuclear reactions. d. all of the above e. none of the above
All of the above
which of the following is a concern for opponents of nuclear power? a. Waste Storage b. Long lead time until new plants are constructed c. Safety d. Proliferation e. All of the above.
All of the above
Which of the following is not a medical use for radioactive materials: a. radiotracers b. imaging c. emission tomography d. gamma knife therapy e. All of the above are medical uses
All of the above are medical uses
The commercial nuclear accident that produced the largest amount of contamination in the area was the incident at _____________ .
Chernobyl
Which early chemist classified the different types of radiation?
Ernest Rutherford
From a nuclear fission standpoint, which of the following best describes a chain reaction?
Fission of one nucleus releases neutrons which induces fission in another nucleus.
Which country produces the greatest proportion of its power used from nuclear energy?
France
Why does a centrifuge allow for enhanced separation of isotopes?
It acts as if there is an increase in gravity and the heavier isotopes are pulled more efficiently towards the edge of the centrifuge.
You are given a small, solid pellet of radioactive material that primary acts as an alpha emitter. Which of the following protocols is the minimum safe handling procedure?
It could be carried in your pocket.
The beta particle is often written as having a negative atomic number. which description best rationalizes why it is written this way?
It effectively raises the atomic number of the element that releases it
What is the effect of radioactive material and radiation when it impacts living matter that makes it so damaging?
It generates ions by causing ejection of electrons
Under which of the conditions below do you expect an isotope to be radioactive
It has an atomic number above Z=84
Which of the following best describes the technical challenge that prevents fusion from being utilized to produce energy?
It is difficult to sustain and control the high temperatures needed for fission
Fusion is often talked about as a potential new method for producing nuclear energy. How is fusion different than fission?
It joins two nuclei rather than splitting one
In the discoloration of cut fruit, such as apples, what is the role of the citrate and citric acid?
It reacts to oxygen
What feature of certain isotopes of uranium makes it suitable for participating in a chain-reaction during fission?
It releases more neutrons than it absorbs
You are given a small, solid pellet of a radioactive material that primarily acts as a gamma emitter. Which of the following protocols is the minimum safe handling procedure?
It should be wrapped in thick lead
In the discoloration of cut fruit, such as apples, what is the most likely oxidant that is causing the discoloration? a. enzymes b. water vapor in the air c. nitrogen in the air d. citric acid e. None of the above.
None of the above
What is the purpose of isotopic enrichment? a. to control the rate of radioactive decay b. to slow neutrons to make them more likely to start fission c. to allow the nuclear energy to be converted into electrical energy d. to absorb neutrons and keep fission from happening e. None of the above.
None of the above
Which of the following statements are true? a. Only man-made elements are radioactive. b. Radioactive elements are not found in nature. c. Decay of a radioactive element will produces two non-radioactive elements. d. The elements above an atomic number of 84 are all man-made. e. None of the above are true.
None of the above are true.
Fission can generally be described as which of the following?
One heavy nuclei being split into several smaller ones
Which of the major types of radiation results from an easily recognizable change in the nucleus? a. alpha radiation b. beta radiation c. gamma radiation d. All of the above e. Only a and b
Only A and B
Why does nuclear fuel need to be isotopically enriched?
Only certain isotopes readily support fission.
What phenomenon was Antoine Becquerel studying that lead to the beginning of our understanding of radioactivity?
Phosphorescence
What was Marie Curie's major contribution to the study of radiation?
She proposed that the elements change during radiation release.
Which of the following would be a suitable definition of a half-life?
The amount of time it takes an isotope to decay to half its original amount
Which of the following is NOT a potential issue with nuclear power?
The nuclear plant could detonate into a nuclear fireball.
Why are free-radicals so damaging?
They are potent oxidants and often form more free radicals.
Predict which of the following isotopes has the best chance of being radioactive
Thorium-232
The incident at _____________ was the first major commercial nuclear accident.
Three-Mile Island
Radon gas is a naturally occurring radioisotope that is believed to contribute significantly to cancer deaths, even though its primary method of decay is alpha emission. Which of the following is hypothesized to be the cause of this extra sensitivity to the radiation from radon?
When it decays it leaves trace amounts of other radioactive materials in the lungs
What is a meltdown?
When the nuclear reaction gets out of control and damages the core
Besides the typical radioactivity such as alpha, beta, and gamma rays, what else misclassified as ionizing radiation?
X-rays
The amount of fissile material needed support a chain reaction is ________.
a critical mass
A collection of isotopes that are all related by a step-wise number of radioactive transformations is called __________.
a decay series
Which of the following statements can best describes the following type of radiation? beta radiation
a fast moving, lightweight, negatively charged particle
Most commercial spent nuclear fuel consists of ____________ .
a mixture of fission products and Uranium-238
Another name for the unstable nucleus that can undergo radioactive disposition is ______ ?
a nuclide
Which of the following statements can best describe the following type of radiation? Alpha radiation
a slow moving, but energetic, relatively massive positively charged particles
By comparing a samples isotope ratio it is possible to see that after 3000 years, the original radioisotope had decayed to 12% of its original value. Estimate the half life of that particular isotope.
about 1000 years
If you know an isotope has a half life of 47 days, which of the following best represent how long has the sample been decaying if approximately 10% of the original radioactive isotope is left?
about 150 days
Iodine-131 has a half-life of 8.02 days, making it useful for treatment and medical diagnostics. Starting with a sample of 200. mg of Iodine-131, how much of the isotope would remain after 24 days?
about 25.0 mg
By comparing a sample's isotope ratio it is possible to see that after 6300 years, the original radioisotope had decayed to 25% of its original value. Estimate the half life of that particular isotope.
about 3200 days
Which of the following class of elements is most likely to serve as a reductant?
alkali metals
If radioactive materials are so dangerous, why are alpha emitters like Americium- 241 readily found in the home in such things as smoke detectors?
alpha particles do not penetrate well and are absorbed by air or smoke.
Which of the following types of radiation is best described by the condition below: High Ionizing power and low penetrating power
alpha radiation
Which of the following types of radiation most closely resembles helium atoms?
alpha radiation
If taken internally, which of the following is the best ranking for the relative danger of types of radiation from highest cause for alarm to lowest?
alpha radiation > beta radiation > gamma radiation
Which of the following is the best ranking of types of radiation from highest ionizing power to lowest?
alpha radiation > beta radiation > gamma radiation
one of the signs that fission's taking place when Hahn and Strassmann were bombarding uranium with neutrons ________.
an increase in elements in the sample were much lighter than uranium
The oxidizing agent will cause other things to _________
be oxidized
The reducing agent will cause other things to _________
be reduced
Which common form of radiation is most similar to positron emission?
beta
Which of the following types of radiation is best described by the condition below: Intermediate penetrating power and intermediate ionizing power
beta radiation
Which of the major types of radiation only consists of a single subatomic particle
beta radiation
The role of the reducing agent is to ______ . a. undergo oxidation b. undergo reduction c. lose electrons d. Both a and c e. None of the above.
both A and C
Within the atom, it is the ______ that typically gives rise to radioactivity. a. mass b. electrons c. neutrons d. protons e. both C & D
both C and D
