Q. 5.77
Question
Calcium-, used to evaluate bone metabolism, has a half-life of days.
a. Write the balanced nuclear equation for the beta decay of calcium-.
b. How many milligrams of a sample of calcium- remain after days?
c. How many days have passed if of calcium- decayed to of calcium-?
Step-by-Step Solution
VerifiedOption a is
The following is the whole nuclear reaction:
Option b is
As a result, after days, people remain.
Option c is
As a result, it takes days to decay a sample from to
Calcium is a periodic table element with the atomic symbol Ca. The alkaline earth metals contain calcium, which has an atomic number of . Calcium's beta decay results in the production of a new element with the formula
The following is an incomplete nuclear equation for beta decay:
Calcium has a mass number of , which is equal to the sum of the new nucleus' and a beta particle's mass numbers.
In the equation above, find the missing atomic number:
The atomic number of calcium is , which is equivalent to the atomic number of a new nucleus plus a beta particle.
Rearrange the equation as follows:
Replace the following values in the equation:
Determine the new element's symbol:
Scandium has atomic number in the periodic table.
The nucleus of this isotope of is denoted as
The following is the whole nuclear reaction:
(b) Half-life: A radioisotope's half-life is the time it takes for half of a sample to decay.
The half-life of calcium- is days.
The starting dose of calcium- is
Make a plan to figure out the unknown quantity.
days half-life number of half-lives miligrams Number of remaining half-lives in miligrams of
Calculate the amount of sample left after days using the using conversion factor. Calcium's half-life is days.
To begin, calculate the number of half-lives in the period that has passed.
Calculate how much of the sample decays in four half-lives and how much calcium remains in milligrammes.
As a result, after days, people remain.
(c) Half-life:
A radioisotope's half-life is the time it takes for half of a sample to decay.
Calcium- has a starting dose of
The amount of calcium- left is .
Calcium- has a day half-life.
Half-life of conversion factor
Calcium's half-life- days
To reduce the sample from to , two half-lives are required.
Calculate the required days using the conversion factor for half-life.
Calcium's half-life - days
As a result, it takes days to decay a sample from to.