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What does it mean when we say that strontium-90, a waste product of nuclear power plants, has a half-life of 28.8 years?
17. Radioactivity and Nuclear Chemistry
Radioactive Half-Life
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What is the concentration of a CO2 in a container after 4 half-lives if 0.325 mol of CO2 is initially placed into a 5.0 L reaction vessel?
A
0.020 M
B
4.06×10–3 M
C
8.1×10–3 M
D
0.325 M
Verified step by step guidance1
Determine the initial concentration of CO2 by dividing the initial moles by the volume of the container. Use the formula: \( \text{Initial Concentration} = \frac{\text{Initial Moles}}{\text{Volume}} \).
Calculate the initial concentration: \( \text{Initial Concentration} = \frac{0.325 \text{ mol}}{5.0 \text{ L}} \).
Understand that after each half-life, the concentration of the substance is halved. Therefore, after 4 half-lives, the concentration will be \( \frac{1}{2^4} \) of the initial concentration.
Calculate the concentration after 4 half-lives using the formula: \( \text{Concentration after 4 half-lives} = \text{Initial Concentration} \times \frac{1}{2^4} \).
Substitute the initial concentration value into the formula to find the concentration after 4 half-lives.
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