DP Chemistry Questionbank

Deduce equations for the following nuclear reactions:

(i) Molybdenum-98 absorbs a neutron.

(ii) The isotope produced in (a) (i) decays into technetium-99m.

Lutetium-177 is a common isotope used for internal radiation therapy.

Suggest why lutetium-177 is an ideal isotope for the treatment of certain cancers based on the type of radiation emitted.

Yttrium-90 is used in treating certain cancers.

Formulate a nuclear equation for the beta decay of yttrium-90.

Calculate the rate constant, $\lambda$, in day⁻¹, for the decay of iodine-131 using section 1 of the data booklet.

Calculate the time, in days, for 90% of the sample to decay.

Outline how the alpha-radiation in TAT is directed to cancer cells.

Identify the type of radiation emitted by these two radioisotopes.

Explain why alpha-radiation is particularly suitable for this treatment.

State an equation for the one-step decay of yttrium-90.

The half-life of lutetium-177 is 6.75 days. Calculate the percentage remaining after 27 days.

State the type of radiation technetium-99m emits.

Technetium-99m has a half-life of $6.03$ hours. Calculate the amount of $1.00\times {10}^{-11} \mathrm{mol}$ of technetium-99m remaining after $48.0$ hours.

State a nuclear equation to show the decay of lutetium-177.

The half-life of lutetium-177 is 6.73 days. Determine the percentage of a sample of lutetium-177 remaining after 14.0 days.

Describe how ionizing radiation destroys cancer cells.

Outline how Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT) is used for treating cancers that have spread throughout the body.

The half-life of phosphorus-32 is 14.3 days. Calculate the mass, in g, of ³²P remaining after 57.2 days if the initial sample contains 2.63 × 10⁻⁸ mol. Use table 1 of the data booklet and M_r = 31.97 g mol⁻¹.

Explain the targeted alpha therapy (TAT) technique and why it is useful.

Phosphorous-32 undergoes beta decay. Formulate a balanced nuclear equation for this process.

Suggest why the percentage of technetium-99m remaining in the human body two days after injection will be lower than that calculated in (b)(i).

Alpha particles are more damaging to human cells than any other nuclear radiation and yet they are used in targeted alpha therapy (TAT).

Explain how TAT is relatively safe to use in the treatment of dispersed cancers.

Technetium-99m (${}_{43}^{99\text{m}}\text{Tc}$) has a half-life of 6.0 hours. Calculate the percentage of ${}_{43}^{99\text{m}}\text{Tc}$ remaining in a sample of the radioisotope after two days.

Technetium-99 decays further, emitting beta radiation. Formulate the equation for the decay of technetium-99.

Outline the disposal of LLW.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an application of NMR technology using radiowaves.

Suggest why MRI is much less dangerous than imaging techniques such as X-rays and radiotracers. Use section 3 of the data booklet.

Determine the percentage of technetium-99m remaining after 24.0 hours.

Evaluate the suitability of technetium-99m for this use.

Calculate the percentage of technetium-99m remaining after 10.0 hours. Use section 1 of the data booklet.

25.0 μg of iodine-131, with a half-life of 8.00 days, was left to decay.

Calculate the mass of iodine-131, in μg, remaining after 32.0 days. Use section 1 of the data booklet.