Solutions: Problem Set #1

9
4
1
60
0
[1.3] Complete the following reactions ? Be 2 He ? 1 H , ? Co ? 1 e ,
7
3

Li 11H ? 24 He , 105 B 24 He ? 11H

9
4
7
3

Be 24 He125 B11H ,

Li 11H 24 He

4
2

60
27

He ,

10
5

60
Co 28
Ni 10e ,

B 24He 136C 11H

[1.7] a. If plutonium-239 captures two neutrons followed by a beta decay, what isotope is
produced. b. If plutonium-239 captures three neutrons, followed by two beta decays,
what isotope is produced?
a.
239
94

239
94

1
241
241
Pu 01n240
94 Pu 0 n 94 Pu 95 Am

Pu n
1
0

241
94

240
94

240
94

Pu

Pu 01n

242
94

Pu

Pu n
1
0

242

95 Am

241
94

Thus americium-241b.

Pu ,
242
96

Cm Thus curium-242

[1.15] Approximately what mass of cobalt-60, which has a half-life of 5.26 yr, will have
the same number of curies as 10 gm of stronsium-90, which has a half-life of 28.8 yr?
Let c=>cobalt & s=>strontium, for this problem. Then c N c s N s # of Ci
N V N , where V is volume and N is atom density
N N o / A Thus

c (Vc c ) N o / Ac s (Vs s ) N o / As ,

But mass is m V , hence c mc N o / Ac s ms N o / As or

t A
A
5.26 60
mc s c ms 1/ 2,c c ms
10 1.22 g
c As
t1/ 2,s As
28.8 90

[1.16] Ninety percent of an isotope decays in three hours

a. What fraction decays in six hours?
b. What is the half-life?
c. If the isotope is produced in a reactor at the rate of 109 nuclei per hour, after a
long time how many nuclei will be present in the reactor?
First find the decay constant: 0.10 exp( 3) Therefore ln(0.1) / 3 0.768 hr 1
a. The fraction left is exp(0.768 6) 0.00997 Thus the fraction that has decayed is
1.0-0.00997=0.99
1
b. t1/ 2 0.693 / 0.693 /(0.768 hr ) 0.903hr
c. Taking t in Eq. (1.42) we have
N () Ao / 109 hr 1 / (0.768hr 1 ) 1.302 109 nuclei (Modified)

[1.20] Consider the fission product chain A

B C with decay constants A
and B A reactor is started up at t = 0 and produces fission product A at a rate of Ao
thereafter: Assuming that B and C are not produced directly from fission:
a. Find N A (t ) and N B (t )
b. What are N A () and N B () ?

a. N A (t ) is determined from Eq. (1.42):

A
N A (t ) 0 [1 exp(At )]
A
Since each decay of isotope A creates and isotope B, the concentration of isotope B is
governed by Eq. (1.45):
d
N B (t ) A N A (t ) B N B (t )
dt
Combining this with Eq. (1.42) for N A (t ) yields
d
N B (t ) A0 [1 exp(At )] B N B (t )
dt
We may solve this equation using the same integrating factor technique applied in Eqs.
(1.39) to (1.41). Multiplying by exp(B t ) the preceding equation becomes
d
[ N B (t ) exp(B t )] A0 [1 exp(At )]exp(B t )
dt
Integrating between 0 and t, we have
1

1
N B (t ) exp(B t ) N B (0) exp(B 0) A0
[exp(B t ) 1]
[exp((B A )t ) 1]
B A
B

Since N B (0) = 0 and exp(B 0) = 1, we obtain

1

1
N B (t ) A0
[1 exp(B t )]
[exp(At ) exp(B t )]
B A
B

b. Setting t In these equations yields

N A ( )
or

A0
A

N B ( )

A0
B

A N A () B N B () A0