Radioactivity and Half-Life

High School Physical Science

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Review
• What are the TWO types of radioactive
decay?

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Radioactivity
• An unstable atomic nucleus
emits a form of radiation
(alpha, beta, or gamma) to
become stable.
• In other words, the nucleus
decays into a different atom.
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Radioactivity
• Alpha Particle – Helium
nucleus
• Beta Particle – electron
• Gamma Ray – high-energy
photon
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 Kinds of Radioactivity

The three main decays are Alpha, Beta

andHSGamma
Science Park -- Honors Chemistry
Three Common Types of
Radioactive Emissions
Alpha

Beta

Gamma
Science Park HS -- Honors Chemistry
Half-Life
•Amount of time it takes
for one half of a sample
of radioactive atoms to
decay

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Medical Applications of Half-Life
Nuclide Half-Life Area of Body
I–131 8.1 days Thyroid
Fe–59 45.1 days Red Blood Cells
Sr–87 2.8 hours Bones
Tc–99 6.0 hours Heart
Na–24 14.8 hours Circulatory System

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Another Contribution from Rutherford:
Half-life of Radioactive Atoms
The half-life of a radioactive substance, is the
time required for one half of it to decay.

Science Park HS -- Honors Chemistry

 Where are the Sources of
Radioactivity?
• Naturally Occurring Sources:
– Radon from the decay of Uranium and Thorium
– Potassium -40 – found in minerals and in plants
– Carbon 14 – Found in Plants and Animal tissue
• Manmade Sources:
– Medical use of Radioactive Isotopes
– Certain Consumer products –(eg Smoke detectors)
– Fallout from nuclear testing
– Emissions from Nuclear Power plants

Science Park HS -- Honors Chemistry

Half-Life Calculation #1
• You have 400 mg of a
radioisotope with a half-life
of 5 minutes. How much will
be left after 30 minutes?

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Half-Life Calculation #2
• Suppose you have a 100 mg
sample of Au-191, which has
a half-life of 3.4 hours. How
much will remain after 10.2
hours?

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Half-Life Calculation # 3
• Cobalt-60 is a radioactive
isotope used in cancer
treatment. Co-60 has a half-life
of 5 years. If a hospital starts
with a 1000 mg supply, how
many mg will need to be
purchased after 10 years to
replenish the original supply?
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Half-Life Calculation # 4
• A radioisotope has a half-life
of 1 hour. If you began with
a 100 g sample of the
element at noon, how much
remains at 3 PM? At 6 PM?
At 10 PM?
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Half-Life Calculation # 5
• How many half-lives have
passed if 255 g of Co-60
remain from a sample of
8160 g?

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Half-Life Calculation # 6
• Suppose you have a sample
containing 400 nuclei of a
radioisotope. If only 25
nuclei remain after one hour,
what is the half-life of the
isotope?
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Half-Life Calculation # 7
• If a radioactive element has
diminished by 7/8 of its
original amount in 30
seconds, what is its half-life?

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Answers to Half-Life Calculations
• Half-Life Calculation #1
– 6.25 mg
• Half-Life Calculation #2
– 12.5 mg
• Half-Life Calculation #3
– 750 mg
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Answers to Half-Life Calculations
• Half-Life Calculation #4
– 12.5 g, 1.5625 g,
0.09765625 g
• Half-Life Calculation #5
– 5 half-lives

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Answers to Half-Life Calculations
• Half-Life Calculation #6
– 15 minutes
• Half-Life Calculation #7
– 10 seconds

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