Question

Calculate the activity R in curies of 1.00 g of 226Ra. (b) Discuss why your answer is not exactly 1.00 Ci, given that the curie was originally supposed to be exactly the activity of a gram of radium.

a) (a) 3.70 Ci; (b) Presence of other decay products
b) (a) 2.55 Ci; (b) Rounding off of values
c) (a) 4.80 Ci; (b) Variation in decay rates
d) (a) 1.20 Ci; (b) Contamination with other elements

Answer 1

The activity of 1.00 g of 226Ra is 3.70 Ci due to the conversion factor between curies and becquerels. The presence of other decay products can cause the activity to deviate from the expected value.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the activity R in curies of 1.00 g of 226Ra, we can use the relationship between curies and becquerels. 1 Ci is equal to 3.70 x 10^10 Bq. Assuming the activity of 1 g of 226Ra is exactly 1.00 Ci, we can convert the activity to curies by multiplying by the conversion factor. Therefore, 1.00 g of 226Ra has an activity of 3.70 Ci.

The reason why the answer is not exactly 1.00 Ci is due to the presence of other decay products. When radium decays, it produces daughter nuclei, which also contribute to the overall activity. These decay products can cause the activity to be slightly higher or lower than the expected value.