A rock containing 1 mg of plutonium- 239 per kg of rock is found in a glacier. The half-life of

Name: Problem 33, Chapter 9: Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry
Uploaded: 2021-06-06T21:48:46-08:00
Duration: 1 min 7 s
Channel: David Collins
Description: A rock containing 1 mg of plutonium- 239 per kg of rock is found in a glacier. The half-life of plutonium-239 is 25,000 years. If this rock was deposited 100,000 years ago during an ice age, how much plutonium-239 per kilogram of rock was in the rock at that time?

step 1 If plutonium 239 has a half -life of 25 ,000 years, then after 100 ,000 years, four half -lives

Question

A rock containing $1 \mathrm{mg}$ of plutonium- 239 per $\mathrm{kg}$ of rock is found in a glacier. The half-life of plutonium-239 is 25,000 years. If this rock was deposited 100,000 years ago during an ice age, how much plutonium-239 per kilogram of rock was in the rock at that time?

   A rock containing $1 \mathrm{mg}$ of plutonium- 239 per $\mathrm{kg}$ of rock is found in a glacier. The half-life of plutonium-239 is 25,000 years. If this rock was deposited 100,000 years ago during an ice age, how much plutonium-239 per kilogram of rock was in the rock at that time?

Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry

Frederick A.… 11th Edition

Chapter 9, Problem 33

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Solved by Expert David Collins

06/06/2021

Step 1

This means that every 25,000 years, the amount of plutonium-239 in the rock is halved. Show more…

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A rock containing $1 \mathrm{mg}$ of plutonium- 239 per $\mathrm{kg}$ of rock is found in a glacier. The half-life of plutonium-239 is 25,000 years. If this rock was deposited 100,000 years ago during an ice age, how much plutonium-239 per kilogram of rock was in the rock at that time?

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Key Concepts

Radioactive Decay

Radioactive decay is a natural process in which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation, leading to a transformation into a different nucleus or a different energy state. This process happens at a rate that is statistically predictable, even though the decay of any single atom is random.

Half-Life

Half-life is the period of time required for half of the radioactive nuclei in a sample to decay. It is a crucial measure in nuclear chemistry and physics, providing insight into the rate of decay and the age-dating of materials, as it reflects the time scale over which significant reductions in nuclide concentration occur.

Exponential Decay Law

The exponential decay law mathematically describes the decrease in the number of radioactive atoms over time. It establishes that the quantity of a radioactive substance decays at a rate proportional to its current value, resulting in an exponential decrease characterized by the half-life.

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