Suppose that an 85.0-gram laboratory animal ingests 10.0 mg of a substance that

Question

Suppose that an 85.0-gram laboratory animal ingests 10.0 mg of a substance that contained 2.55% by mass Pu-239, an alpha emitter with a half-life of 24,110 years.

a. What is the animals inital radiation exposure in curies?

b. If all of the energy from the emitted alpha particles is absorbed by the animal's tissues, and if the energy of each emission is 7.77x10^-12 J what is the dose in rads to the animal in the first 4. hours following the ingestion of the radioactive material. Assuming a biological effectiveness factory of 20, what is the 4.0-hour dose in rems?

Explanation / Answer

Wt. of Pu-239 in the substance = 0.255 mg. No. of atoms of Pu-239 = (0.255*10^(-3)/239)*6.023*10^(23) =6.426*10^(17) atoms lambda = 0.693/T(1/2) = 0.693/24,110 = 2.87432*10^(-5) /year Disintegration rate = 2.87432*10^(-5)*6.426*10^(17) = 1.847*10^(13)/year = 5.857*10^(5) Bq =1.583*10^(-5) Ci 1Ci = 3.7*10^(10) Bq

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