Nuclear Chemistry
Practice Test
1.
How many types of orbitals are present in atoms of elements in the third period of the periodic table?
a.
2
b.
1
c.
3
d.
4
2.
Which of the following is a correct statement about a neutral atom?
a.
The atom has the same number of proton and electrons.
b.
Neutrons are present in the nucleus.
c.
The atom is radioactive.
d.
The atoms carry a positive or a negative charge.
3.
What are isotopes of atoms with unstable nuclei called?
a.
radioisotopes
b.
radiation
c.
radioactivity
d.
radioactive decay
4.
How do gamma rays differ from alpha particles and beta particles?
a.
Gamma rays have mass, whereas alpha and beta particles do not.
b.
Gamma rays and beta particles result in the formation of new atoms, but alpha particles do not.
c.
Gamma rays and alpha particles result in the formation of new atoms, but beta particles do not.
d.
Alpha particle and beta particle emissions result in the formation of new atoms, whereas gamma ray emissions do not.
5.
How many protons are present in an atom potassium-39?
a.
39
b.
58
c.
20
d.
19
6.
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 condition
c.
critical mass
d.
mass defect
7.
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.
the Balmer series
c.
a band of stability
d.
a radioactive decay series
8.
Which of the following power sources makes use of the photoelectric effect?
a.
diesel engines
b.
alkaline batteries
c.
nuclear power plants
d.
solar power cells
9.
Which of the following would be the best choice for use in detecting diseased tissue as part of medical diagnostics?
a.
radiotracer
b.
ionizing radiation
c.
X-ray
d.
gamma ray
10.
The part of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans can see is the ________.
a.
a, b, and c
b.
infrared spectrum
c.
ultraviolet spectrum
d.
visible spectrum
11.
In a nuclear reactor, what is the heat generated by the nuclear fission reaction used for?
a.
generating steam
b.
freezing water
c.
making building products
d.
fusing other unstable isotopes together
12.
Which of the results of Rutherford's gold foil experiments was not consistent with the plum pudding atomic model?
a.
Most of the alpha particles passed straight through the gold foil.
b.
The zinc sulfide coated screen produced a flash of light whenever it was struck by an alpha particle.
c.
Some alpha particles were deflected straight back toward the particle source.
d.
The paths of alpha particles were only slightly altered by collisions with electrons.
13.
What is the lowest energy state of an atom called?
a.
the solid state
b.
the chaotic state
c.
the ground state
d.
the excited state
14.
Which particle emitted during radioactive decay is indistinguishable from an electron?
a.
alpha particle
b.
beta particle
c.
delta particle
d.
gamma particle
15.
What fundamental particle is identical to a beta particle?
a.
the proton
b.
the neutron
c.
the positron
d.
the electron
16.
Carbon-14 is used to date archaeological artifacts. If carbon-14 decays by loss of a beta particle, what new element is formed?
a.
boron-14
b.
nitrogen-13
c.
nitrogen-14
d.
carbon-13
17.
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.
actinium and an alpha particle
d.
radium and a positron
18.
Which of the following statements is correct?
a.
A neutron will always be found orbiting the nucleus.
b.
An electron is about 2000 times more massive than a proton.
c.
A proton is about 2000 times more massive than an electron.
d.
The nucleus is mostly empty space.
19.
The time required for one-half of a radioactive isotope to decay into its products is _______________.
a.
half-time
b.
transmutation
c.
half-life
d.
isomerization
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.
scintillation counter
b.
all of the above
c.
film badge
d.
Geiger counter
