High School
SAT
ACT
University
MCAT
LSAT
DAT

Elements: Radioactive Decay in Smoke Detectors

Related Topics

Wize University Chemistry Textbook > Kinetics

Rate of Reaction

4 Activities

Americium-241 is a synthetic isotope made in nuclear reactors around the world. Chances are you have been in close proximity to this radioactive isotope thousands of time in your life because it is used in household smoke detectors. 241Am^{241}\rm Am is an alpha emitter whose decay obeys a first order rate-law (as do all nuclear decays) with a half-life of 432.6 years. What is the rate constant of its decay? How much 241Am^{241}\rm Am would remain of a 25mg sample if it were left for 300 years.


More Rate of Reaction Questions:
Rate Laws: Relative Rates of Reactions
Consider the balanced chemical equation for the reaction
2CO(g)+O2(g)⟶2CO2(g)Rate=k[CO]22CO(g)+O_2(g)⟶2CO_2(g)\qquad Rate=k[CO]^2
If the rate of the reaction is 3.2 M/s which of the following is TRUE.
Given the following data for the NH4++NO2−→N2+2H2ONH_4^++NO_2^-→N_2+2H_2O reaction, the rate law for the reaction is
Trial[NH4+][NO2–]Rate10.010M0.030M0.020M/s20.0150.0300.03030.0100.0150.005\def\arraystretch{1.5} \begin{array}{c} Trial &[NH_4^+] &[NO_2^–]& Rate \\ \hline 1 & 0.010 M & 0.030 M &0.020 M/s \\ 2& 0.015& 0.030 &0.030 \\ 3&0.010 & 0.015 &0.005 \\ \end{array}
Rate Laws: Relative Rates of Reactions
Consider the balanced chemical equation for the reaction
2CO(g)+O2(g)⟶2CO2(g)Rate=k[CO]22CO(g)+O_2(g)⟶2CO_2(g)\qquad Rate=k[CO]^2
If the rate of the reaction is 3.2 M/s which of the following is TRUE.
Given the following data for the NH4++NO2−→N2+2H2ONH_4^++NO_2^-→N_2+2H_2O reaction, the rate law for the reaction is
Trial[NH4+][NO2–]Rate10.010M0.030M0.020M/s20.0150.0300.03030.0100.0150.005\def\arraystretch{1.5} \begin{array}{c} Trial &[NH_4^+] &[NO_2^–]& Rate \\ \hline 1 & 0.010 M & 0.030 M &0.020 M/s \\ 2& 0.015& 0.030 &0.030 \\ 3&0.010 & 0.015 &0.005 \\ \end{array}
The Rate Law
Express the rate of reaction in terms of the change in concentration of each reactant and product:
A(g)+2B(g)→C(g)A_{(g)}+2B_{(g)} \to C_{(g)}
For the following reaction:
A(g)+2B(g)→C(g)A_{(g)}+2B_{(g)} \to C_{(g)}
When [B] is decreasing at 0.5 M/s, how fast is [A] decreasing?