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Ch.21 - Nuclear Chemistry
Chapter 21, Problem 92a

A 25.0-mL sample of 0.050 M barium nitrate solution was mixed with 25.0 mL of 0.050 M sodium sulfate solution labeled with radioactive sulfur-35. The activity of the initial sodium sulfate solution was 1.22⨉106 Bq/mL. After the resultant precipitate was removed by filtration, the remaining filtrate was found to have an activity of 250 Bq/mL. (a) Write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction that occurred.

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Step 1: Identify the reactants and products. The reactants are barium nitrate (Ba(NO3)2) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4). The product is barium sulfate (BaSO4), which is a precipitate, and sodium nitrate (NaNO3).
Step 2: Write the unbalanced chemical equation. Ba(NO3)2 + Na2SO4 → BaSO4 + NaNO3.
Step 3: Balance the chemical equation. The balanced chemical equation is: Ba(NO3)2 + Na2SO4 → BaSO4 + 2NaNO3. This is because there are 2 nitrate ions on the left side and only 1 on the right side in the unbalanced equation. To balance it, we need to have 2 nitrate ions on both sides, which is achieved by adding a coefficient of 2 in front of NaNO3.
Step 4: Check the balanced equation. There should be the same number of each type of atom on the left side of the equation as on the right side. In this case, there are 1 Ba, 2 N, 6 O, 2 Na, and 4 O on both sides, so the equation is balanced.
Step 5: Understand the context of the problem. The radioactive sulfur-35 is used to track the sulfate ions. The decrease in activity from the initial sodium sulfate solution to the filtrate indicates that some of the sulfate ions have been removed from the solution, presumably by forming the barium sulfate precipitate.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Precipitation Reactions

Precipitation reactions occur when two soluble salts react in solution to form an insoluble compound, known as a precipitate. In this case, barium nitrate and sodium sulfate react to form barium sulfate, which is insoluble in water. Understanding the solubility rules helps predict which compounds will precipitate during a reaction.
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Balancing Chemical Equations

Balancing chemical equations is essential to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is conserved in a reaction. This involves adjusting the coefficients of the reactants and products so that they match. For the reaction between barium nitrate and sodium sulfate, the balanced equation reflects the stoichiometry of the reactants and products involved.
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Radioactive Decay and Activity

Radioactive decay refers to the process by which unstable atomic nuclei lose energy by emitting radiation. The activity of a radioactive sample, measured in becquerels (Bq), indicates the number of decay events per second. In this scenario, the initial and final activities of the sodium sulfate solution provide insight into the distribution of the radioactive sulfur after the precipitation reaction.
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Related Practice
Open Question
Calculate the mass of octane, C8H18, that must be burned in air to evolve the same quantity of energy as produced by the fusion of 1.0 g of hydrogen in the following fusion reaction: 4 1^1H → 4 2He + 2 0^1e. Assume that all the products of the combustion of octane are in their gas phases. Use data from Exercise 21.50, Appendix C, and the inside covers of the text. The standard enthalpy of formation of octane is -250.1 kJ/mol.
Open Question
Naturally found uranium consists of 99.274% 238U, 0.720% 235U, and 0.006% 234U. As we have seen, 235U is the isotope that can undergo a nuclear chain reaction. Most of the 235U used in the first atomic bomb was obtained by gaseous diffusion of uranium hexafluoride, UF6(g). (a) What is the mass of UF6 in a 30.0-L vessel of UF6 at a pressure of 695 torr at 350 K? (b) What is the mass of 235U in the sample described in part (a)? (c) Now suppose that the UF6 is diffused through a porous barrier and that the change in the ratio of 238U and 235U in the diffused gas can be described by Equation 10.23. What is the mass of 235U in a sample of the diffused gas analogous to that in part (a)? (d) After one more cycle of gaseous diffusion, what is the percentage of 235UF6 in the sample?
Open Question
Charcoal samples from Stonehenge in England were burned in O2, and the resultant CO2 gas bubbled into a solution of Ca(OH)2 (limewater), resulting in the precipitation of CaCO3. The CaCO3 was removed by filtration and dried. A 788-mg sample of the CaCO3 had a radioactivity of 1.5 × 10^-2 Bq due to carbon-14. By comparison, living organisms undergo 15.3 disintegrations per minute per gram of carbon. Using the half-life of carbon-14, 5700 years, calculate the age of the charcoal sample.
Textbook Question

A 25.0-mL sample of 0.050 M barium nitrate solution was mixed with 25.0 mL of 0.050 M sodium sulfate solution labeled with radioactive sulfur-35. The activity of the initial sodium sulfate solution was 1.22 × 106 Bq/mL. After the resultant precipitate was removed by filtration, the remaining filtrate was found to have an activity of 250 Bq/mL. (b) Calculate the Ksp for the precipitate under the conditions of the experiment.

Textbook Question
The two most common isotopes of uranium are 235U and 238U. (d) 238U undergoes radioactive decay to 234Th. How many protons, electrons, and neutrons are gained or lost by the 238U atom during this process?
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