Problem 53
What are the advantages of a fusion reactor over a fission reactor? What are the practical difficulties in operating a large-scale fusion reactor?
Problem 54
Describe how you would use a radioactive iodine isotope to demonstrate that the following process is in dynamic equilibrium: $$ \mathrm{PbI}_{2}(s) \rightleftarrows \mathrm{Pb}^{2+}(a q)+2 \mathrm{I}^{-}(a q) $$
Problem 55
Consider the following redox reaction: \(\mathrm{IO}_{4}^{-}(a q)+2 \mathrm{I}^{-}(a q)+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}(l)\) \(\mathrm{I}_{2}(s)+\mathrm{IO}_{3}^{-}(a q)+2 \mathrm{OH}^{-}(a q)\) When \(\mathrm{KIO}_{4}\) is added to a solution containing iodide ions labeled with radioactive iodine-128, all the radioactivity appears in \(\mathrm{I}_{2}\) and none in the \(\mathrm{IO}_{3}^{-}\) ion. What can you deduce about the mechanism for the redox process?
Problem 56
Explain how you might use a radioactive tracer to show that ions are not completely motionless in crystals.
Problem 58
List the factors that affect the intensity of radiation from a radioactive element.
Problem 59
What are rad and rem, and how are they related?
Problem 60
Explain, with examples, the difference between somatic and genetic radiation damage.
Problem 63
Strontium-90 is one of the products of the fission of uranium-235. This strontium isotope is radioactive, with a half-life of 28.1 years. Calculate how long (in years) it will take for \(1.00 \mathrm{~g}\) of the isotope to be reduced to \(0.200 \mathrm{~g}\) by decay.
Problem 64
Nuclei with an even number of protons and an even number of neutrons are more stable than those with an odd number of protons and/or an odd number of neutrons. What is the significance of the even numbers of protons and neutrons in this case?
Problem 65
Tritium \(\left({ }^{3} \mathrm{H}\right)\) is radioactive and decays by electron emission. Its half-life is 12.5 years. In ordinary water the ratio of \({ }^{1} \mathrm{H}\) to \({ }^{3} \mathrm{H}\) atoms is \(1.0 \times 10^{17}\) to \(1 .\) (a) Write a balanced nuclear equation for tritium decay. (b) How many disintegrations will be observed per minute in a 1.00-kg sample of water?
