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Technetium-99 has a half-life of 6 hours. this isotope is used diagnostically to perform brain scans. a patient is given a 7.1-ng dose. how many nanograms will be present in the patient 24 hours later?

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Final answer:

Technetium-99 will have undergone four half-lives in 24 hours, leaving approximately 0.444 ng of the original 7.1 ng dose in the patient.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject is asking about the decay of the radioisotope Technetium-99 after a certain period, which is a concept covered by chemistry, particularly nuclear chemistry.

Technetium-99 has a half-life of 6 hours. To find out how much of a substance remains after a certain amount of time, we use the formula N = N0(1/2)^(t/t1/2), where N is the final amount, N0 is the initial amount, t is the time elapsed, and t1/2 is the half-life of the substance.

In this case, 24 hours have passed, which is 4 half-lives (since 24/6 = 4). Therefore, after 24 hours, there will be 7.1 ng (1/2)^4 = 7.1 ng (1/16), which equals approximately 0.444 ng of Technetium-99 remaining in the patient.

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