A certain radioactive nuclide has a half-life of 3.00 hours. a. Calculate the rate constant in \(\mathrm{s}^{-1}\) for this nuclide. b. Calculate the decay rate in decays/s for 1.000 mole of this nuclide.

Short Answer

Expert verified
a. The rate constant (k) for the radioactive nuclide is approximately \(6.4 * 10^{-5}\) \(\mathrm{s}^{-1}\). b. The decay rate for 1.000 mole of this nuclide is approximately 3.85 x 10^19 decays/s.

Step by step solution

01

Convert half-life to seconds

Since the half-life is given in hours, let's first convert it to seconds. 1 hour = 3600 seconds Half-life = 3.00 hours = 3.00 * 3600 seconds
02

Calculate the rate constant (k)

The half-life is related to the rate constant for radioactive decay via the formula: Half-life (t) = \(\frac{0.693}{k}\) Where k is the rate constant of the decay. Rearrange this equation to find the rate constant: k = \(\frac{0.693}{t}\) Substitute the half-life value into the formula: k = \(\frac{0.693}{(3.00 * 3600) \, \text{s}}\) Now, calculate the value of k: k ≈ \(6.4 * 10^{-5}\) \(\mathrm{s}^{-1}\)
03

Calculate the decay rate

To calculate the decay rate in decays/s for 1.000 mole of this nuclide, we can use the following formula: Decay rate (R) = k * N Where R is the decay rate, k is the rate constant, and N is the number of radioactive atoms in the sample. First, convert 1.000 mole of the nuclide to the number of atoms using Avogadro's number (6.022 x 10^23 atoms/mol): N = 1.000 mol * (6.022 x 10^23 atoms/mol) = 6.022 x 10^23 atoms Now, substitute the values of k and N into the decay rate formula: R = \(6.4 * 10^{-5}\) \(\mathrm{s}^{-1}\) * 6.022 x 10^23 atoms Finally, calculate the decay rate: R ≈ 3.85 x 10^19 decays/s The decay rate in decays/s for 1.000 mole of this nuclide is approximately 3.85 x 10^19 decays/s.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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