6.

RADIOACTIVITY
* Decay Constant: N = number of radioactive nuclides at any time t
N
o
= value of N at t = 0
= probability of decay / unit time, assumed independent
of time
* Decay Law:
dN
dt
N N N e
t o
t

;
6.1
* Activity (A)
A A e m m e
t o
t
t o
t


;
6.2
(m being the mass)
* Half and mean lives: T T T T
1
2
1
2
0 693 1
0 693
.
; ; .

6.3
* Decay Chain: For
A B C
,
( )
N
N
e e
B
o A
B A
t
t a
b

6.4
t
A B
A
B
max
ln

_
,

6.5
For secular equilibrium;
N N
A A B B

6.6
For transient equilibrium;
N N
B
A
B A
A

6.7
PROBLEM 6.1 Living plants show a C-14 activity of 12 disintegration/min/g. A piece
of charcoal, 20 g in mass, shows an activity of 140 dpm. How long has the material of
charcoal been dead? T
1/2
(C-14) = 5600 y.
Solution:
From A = A
o
e
-t
,
t
T
A
A
o

_
,

1
2
0 693 .
ln

i.e.,
t
y dpm g
dpm g
y

_
,

5600
0 693
12
140
20
4355 5
.
ln
/
/
.
PROBLEM 6.2 Find the volume at STP of Rn-222 showing 0.1 Ci activity. T
1/2
(Rn) =
3.825 d
Solution: From N = T/0.693 x dN/dT , N = 1.7645 x 10
15
Since 6.023 x 10
23
atoms
occupy 2.2414 x 10
4
ml at STP, the volume of N atoms = 0.0656 x 10
-3
ml.
PROBLEM 6.3 One cm
3
of a solution containing Na-24 with 2000 dps activity is
injected into the blood stream of a man. The specific activity of the blood sample from
the man after 5 h is 16 dpm / cm
3
. What is the volume of blood in the body? T
1/2
(Na) =
15 h.
Solution: If V is the volume of blood, from A = A
o
e
-t
, where A = 16/60 dps/cm
3
and A
0
= 2000/V dps/cm
3
, V 6 litres.
PROBLEM 6.4 Determine the number of and
-
decays in 4n series.
Solution: The series is
208
82
232
90
Pb Th The changes in mass number (232
208) is due only to - decay. Hence 6 - decays are present, this alone would decrease Z
from 90 to 78, but the end product is of Z = 82. Thus 4
-
decays are present.
PROBLEM 6.5 0.423 G OF Ra-226 is in equilibrium with 1.25 g of U-238. Estimate
T
1/2
(Ra) = 1620 y.
Solution: N
1
/ T
1
= N
2
/ T
2

,
1620 226
N 10 423 . 0
T
N
238
25 . 1
o
6
u
o

where N
o
is the
Avogadro number and T
u
= 4.546 By.
PROBLEM 6.6 How long after obtaining a pure sample of Ra
226
will the amount of
Rn
222
be maximum? Assume T
1/2
values.
Solution:
( )
Ra
Rn
Ra Rn
Rn Ra
m
T
T
ln
T T 0.693
T T
ln
1
t

Rn
Ra
Rn Ra

Inserting T
Ra
= 1620 x
365 d and T
Rn
= 3.825 d, t
m
= 6.58 d.
PROBLEM 6.7 Naturally occurring specimens, in which neither of the isotopes Pb-204
and Pb-208 is produced by decay, contain them in the ratio 1:40. In a certain Th-
232 sample, there are found to be a, b and c g of Pb-204, Pb 208 and Th-232
present. Determine the age of the sample.
Solution: Mass of Pb-208 in the mineral not due to Th-decay is 40 a g, since m
Pb-208
= 40
m
Pb-204
(Note Pb-204 is not produced in Th- series and, hence, a g of it is present through
out). Hence, of b g of Pb-208 the quantity produced by decay of Th-232 is (b-40a) g.
We know that N
Th
= (N
Th
+ N
Pb-208
)
t
Th
-
e

(See, e.g., Wehr and Richardson The Age of
the earth)
( )
t
10 1.41
0.493
-
17 17 17
10
e 10 023 . 6
208
40a b
10 023 . 6
232
c
10 023 . 6
232
c


,
_

+
or
( )
1
]
1

,
_

+ c /
208
232
40a - b c ln 2.035 t
years
PROBLEM 6.8.. The decay constants of successive nuclides x,y,z are 2, 3 and 0.
Investigate how the numbers of x y and z vary with time Illustrate graphically.
Solution: N
x
= N
ox
e
-2t
From
( ) ( )
t 3 - t 2 -
ox y
-
-
oA
B
e e N 2 N , e e
N
N
B
A

t
t
A B
A
( )
t -3 t -2
ox y x ox z
e 2 e 3 1 N N N N N

+
t
max
= (1/) ln 1.5 and N
x
= N
y
when N
z
= N
ox
/ 2
(Plot to show these features, assuming = 1/h)
T(h) N
x
N
Y
N
z
= N
o
(N
x
+ N
y
)
0 N
o
- -
0.25 0.6065 N
o
0.2683 N
o
0.1252N
o
.5 0.3678 0.2894 0.3428
.75 0.2230 0.2353 0.5417
1 0.1350 0.1706 0.6944
1.25 0.0820 0.1170 0.801
1.5 0.4970 0.0772 0.8731
1.75 0.3020 0.0496 0.9202
2.00 0.0183 0.0316 0.9501
PROBLEM 6.9 The successive count rates at 1 h interval for a radioisotope are 14422,
10064,7860,5818,4285 and 3160 dpm. Determine graphically.
Solution: Since count rates, c, are a measure of activities, C
t
= C
o
e
-t
and ln(C
o
/ C
t
) = t.
Plot ln(C
o
/C
t
) vs t and determine , the slope = 0.00506 min
-1
PROBLEM 6.10 The count rates at 1h interval successively are 14690,
8780,5650,3840,2694,1938, 1412,1022,755,558,410,304 and 223 counts/min, for a
mixture of two radioisotopes. Obtain the initial count rates and half lives for the two
isotopes, graphically.
Solution: Plot ln C vs t the curve obtained would be a combination of two stright lines,
the slopes and the intercepts of which give the decay constants and initial count rates.
Line 1 due to the longer-lived comp. Is obtained by joining the last few points and
extrapolating it back to t=0. Line 2 is obtained by subtracting the c-values on line 1 from
the c-values for the mixture and plotting the log of the net count rate against time.
C
o1
= 8530; C
o2
= 6160 /min;
1
= 0.00505/min and
2
= 0.015 / min; T
1
= 137 min and T
2
= 46.2 min
0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2
time / h
n
u
m
b
e
r
s
PROBLEM 6.11 The relative intensities of
-
, EC and
+
decay of Cu-64 are:
(
-
):(EC):(
+
) = 2:2:1. T
1/2
(Cu) = 12.8 h. Calculate the partial and total decay
constants, the half-period for
-
decay and the activity of Cu-64 emitting 3.7 x 10
7

-

particles per s.
Solution: Intensities are proportional to activities and, therefore, to decay constants; i.e.,
I(
-
) (
-
); I(EC) (EC) and I(
+
) (
+
) and I(total) (total)
t t t
EC

) (
I
) I(
&
) (
I
I(EC)
;
) (
I
) I(
t t t
+ +

Since T
1/2
= 12.8 h,
t
= 0.693 / T
1/2
= 1.503 x 10
-5
/s.
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
1 3 5 7 9 11
time in h
c
o
u
n
t

p
e
r

m
i
n
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0 5 10 15
time h
l
n

c
(
-
) = (EC) = 2/5 = 0.6 x 10
-5
/ s; (
+
) = 0.3 x 10
-5
/s; T(
-
) 32 h. If activity
-
=
1mCi, A
t
= 2.5 mCi.
PROBLEM 6.12 Determine the half-period of K-40 assuming; (a) K is a mixture of K-
39, K-40 and K-41 containing 0.0119 atom % K-40, (b) K emits 31 -rays and 3.4 -rays
per s per g.
Solution: T = 0.693 N / (dN/dt) ; (dN/dt) = 31 + 3.4 = 34.4 dps/g. N corresponding to 1g
K is required.
N(K-40)/g = 6.023 x 10
23
/40 x 0.0119/100; T = 1.14 x 10
9
y.
PROBLEM 6.13 A sample of gold 197 is exposed to a beam of neutrons to undergo
(n,) reaction and produce Au-198, which is a -emitter with T
1/2
= 2.7 d. If 10
6

neutrons/s produce the reaction, how many Au-198 atoms are present after 2 days of
irradiation?
Solution:
N s 10
dt
dN
1 6


;
10
10
log
1
;
10
6
6
0 0
6
t
N
dt
N
dN
t N

1 (N/10
6
) = e
-t
; N = 10
6
/ (1 - e
t
) = 1.35 x 10
11
atoms.
PROBLEM 6.14 A hospital receives and puts into storage a sample of 100 mCi I-131
(T
1/2 = 8 d). How long can the sample be
kept in storage so as to provide a dose of at least 12 mCi h?
Solution: N = N
o
e
-t
= (dN/dt) x (T
1/2
/ 0.693) e
-t

N = 12 mCih; dN/dt = 100 mCi; T = 8 X 24 h; t = 89.4d
PROBLEM 6.15 A radon seed is meant to provide a therapeutic dose in 5 days after
insertion at a prearranged time. If the implant is delayed 24 h, how long is the seed to
now be left in position to give the required dose? (Rn) = 2.1 x 10
-6
/s or 0.18144 /d.
Solution: The required dose is (N
o
N
5
) where N
5
is the number undecayed atoms after 5
days.
(N
o
N
5
) = N
o
(1 e
-0.9075
). After 24 h, N
1
= N
o
e
-0.1815
If N
t
is the number after insertion
for t days, (N
1
N
t
) = (N
o
N
5
) N
o
(1 e
-o.9075
) = N
o
e
-0.1815
x (1 e
-t
); t = 6.89 days.
PROMLEM 6.16 U-234 ( = 8.8 x 10
-14
s
-1
) decays to Th-230 ( = 2.75 x 10
-13
s
-1
). On
starting with pure U-234, what will be the % of Th in the sample after many half-lives?
What will be the rate of decay of Th then?
Solution:
1
<
2
and T
1
(2.5 x 10
5
y) > T
2
(8 x 10
4
y).
Equilibrium is transient
N
th
=
u
/ (
th
-
u
) N
u
; N
th
/ N
u
= 0.47 ; N
u
/ N
th
= 2.125; (N
u
+ N
th
)/ N
th
= 3.125 ;
N
th
/ (N
u
+ N
th
) = 0.32
32 % of the sample is Th-230 and its rate of decay =
Th

u
/ (
Th
-
u
) N
ou
e
-
u
t
=

Th
/ (
Th
-
u
) x Rate of decay of u
PROBLEM 6.17 Ac decays as follows:

219
86
2 . 11
223
88
9 . 18
227
90
22
227
89
Rn Ra Th Ac
d d y
(a) Find the activity of Th at the end of 30 days after starting with a pure sample of 2
mCi Ac.
(b). A radiochemist mixes 0.5 mCi of pure Th with 0.5 mCi of pure Ra. Find the activity
of each 30 days after mixing.
Solution:
(a)
( )
( ) mCi e e
T T
T A
e e
A
A
e e
N
N
T
t
T
t
t
t o
t t o
3338 . 1
2 1 2 1
2 1
693 . 0 693 . 0
2 1
1 01
1 2
2 1
2
1 2
1
2 2 2

,
_

(b)
mCi e A A
mCi e A e e
T T
T A
A
T
t
o
t
o
T
t
T
t
1664 . 0
3 . 0
1
2 2 1
693 . 0
1 1
2
693 . 0 693 . 0
2 1
1 01
2

+

,
_