Nuclear Chemistry
Practice Test
1.
In a nuclear reactor, what is the heat generated by the nuclear fission reaction used for?
a.
making building products
b.
freezing water
c.
fusing other unstable isotopes together
d.
generating steam
2.
Unstable atomic nuclei emit radiation to __________.
a.
gain neutrons
b.
lose protons
c.
attain more stable atomic configurations
d.
gain electrons
3.
Which of the following would be the best choice for use in detecting diseased tissue as part of medical diagnostics?
a.
ionizing radiation
b.
radiotracer
c.
gamma ray
d.
X-ray
4.
The elements with atomic numbers greater than 92 are _______________.
a.
halogens
b.
lanthanides
c.
transuranium elements
d.
actinides
5.
What happens during positron emission?
a.
An atomic explosion occurs.
b.
A neutron is converted into a proton and a positron.
c.
A proton is converted into a neutron and a positron.
d.
A proton is converted into a neutron and an electron.
6.
Carbon-14 is used to date archaeological artifacts. If carbon-14 decays by loss of a beta particle, what new element is formed?
a.
nitrogen-13
b.
carbon-13
c.
boron-14
d.
nitrogen-14
7.
What is the major problem associated with the development of fusion as a controlled energy source?
a.
The containment of the radioactive decay products.
b.
The resulting air pollution.
c.
The low energy yield of the fuel.
d.
The containment of the extremely high-temperature plasma.
8.
What are isotopes of atoms with unstable nuclei called?
a.
radioactive decay
b.
radiation
c.
radioisotopes
d.
radioactivity
9.
If a thorium-230 atom undergoes alpha decay, what are the products of the reaction?
a.
actinium and a positron
b.
radium and an alpha particle
c.
radium and a positron
d.
actinium and an alpha particle
10.
The goal of ancient alchemy was to change lead (atomic number 82) into gold (atomic number 79). Which of the following could result in the transformation of lead into gold?
a.
an induced transmutation that adds an alpha particle and removes a beta particle from a lead atom
b.
an induced transmutation that adds an alpha particle and removes a positron from a lead atom
c.
an induced transmutation that removes an alpha particle and a beta particle from a lead atom
d.
an induced transmutation that removes an alpha particle and a positron from a lead atom
11.
The atomic number of an atom ________ when it undergoes positron emission.
a.
increases by 1
b.
decreases by 1
c.
increases by 2
d.
decreases by 2
12.
What particle emitted during radioactive decay has a mass of 4 amu?
a.
gamma particle
b.
alpha particle
c.
delta particle
d.
beta particle
13.
The type of radiation that has the greatest penetrating ability is ___________.
a.
delta radiation
b.
gamma radiation
c.
alpha radiation
d.
beta radiation
14.
Which particle emitted during radioactive decay is indistinguishable from an electron?
a.
delta particle
b.
alpha particle
c.
beta particle
d.
gamma particle
15.
If one fission reaction of a uranium-235 atom produced two neutrons, how many neutrons would be released if the chain reaction occurred three more times?
a.
16
b.
8
c.
4
d.
2
16.
The time required for one-half of a radioactive isotope to decay into its products is _______________.
a.
half-time
b.
half-life
c.
isomerization
d.
transmutation
17.
What is the name given to the amount of a radioactive substance that is massive enough to sustain a chain reaction?
a.
mole
b.
critical mass
c.
mass defect
d.
critical condition
18.
What ratio is used to evaluate the stability of a nucleus?
a.
the neutron to proton ratio
b.
the atomic number to mass number ratio
c.
the electron to neutron ratio
d.
the electron to proton ratio
19.
A series of nuclear reactions that begins with an unstable nucleus and results in the formation of a stable nucleus is _______________.
a.
an isotope series
b.
a radioactive decay series
c.
a band of stability
d.
the Balmer series
20.
Radiation that is energetic enough to ionize matter is called ionizing radiation. Which of the following devices could be used to detect ionizing radiation?
a.
Geiger counter
b.
film badge
c.
all of the above
d.
scintillation counter
21.
The half-life for tritium is 12.32 years. How long will it take for a 10.00-g sample of tritium to decay until 1.875 g remain?
Data Table 1
Parent and daughter nuclei data
Number of half-lives
Parent fraction
Daughter fraction
Daughter-to-parent ratio
0
1
1
1/2
2
1/4
3
1/8
4
1/16
a.
0.6594 years
b.
24.64 years
c.
5.333 years
d.
30.80 years
22.
What is the name of the process in which a large radioactive isotope is broken into smaller isotopes?
a.
beta emission
b.
transmutation
c.
nuclear fission
d.
nuclear fusion
