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Ch.21 - Radioactivity & Nuclear Chemistry
Chapter 21, Problem 91

The half-life of 238U is 4.5⨉109 yr. A sample of rock of mass 1.6 g produces 29 dis/s. Assuming all the radioactivity is due to 238U, find the percent by mass of 238U in the rock.

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Key Concepts

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

Half-life

Half-life is the time required for half of the radioactive nuclei in a sample to decay. For uranium-238, this period is approximately 4.5 billion years. Understanding half-life is crucial for calculating the remaining quantity of a radioactive isotope in a sample over time, which is essential for determining the mass percentage of uranium-238 in the rock.
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Radioactivity and Decay Rate

Radioactivity refers to the process by which unstable atomic nuclei lose energy by emitting radiation. The decay rate, measured in disintegrations per second (dis/s), indicates how many atoms decay in a given time frame. In this problem, the decay rate of 29 dis/s provides the necessary information to calculate the amount of uranium-238 present in the rock sample.
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Mass Percent Calculation

Mass percent is a way to express the concentration of a component in a mixture, calculated as the mass of the component divided by the total mass of the mixture, multiplied by 100. To find the percent by mass of uranium-238 in the rock, one must first determine the mass of uranium-238 based on its decay rate and then use the total mass of the rock sample to compute the percentage.
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