Week 6 Assignment: (30 points)
1. Please provide 4 applications or uses of radioactive isotopes. (2 points).
Therapeutic cancer radiation
Locating brain tumors
PET scans
Studying metabolism changes in various ailments
2. Give 3 examples of natural sources of radiation. Where are they found? Are they harmful? (2
points).
Radiation can come from everywhere. One of the largest sources is the sun. Other sources include the soil
and the air itself. These sources of radiation can be harmful in larger doses but in small doses they are
generally not harmful.
3. List and describe the 4 biological effects of radiation. (2 points).
Primarily there are 2 types of ways radiation can harm the body. These are to cause harm to the entirety of
the body or to cause genetic damage. So this question can be difficult to answer because “biological
effects” is very subjective, I don’t know to which classifications it is referring.
4. Write balanced chemical reactions for the following: (2 points each)
a. Cobolt-60 undergoes beta decay
60
Co +0 1e -> 60 63.5Ni
29
b. Americium-241 undergoes alpha decay
241
95 Am + 4 2He -> 237 93 Np
c. Copper-60 undergoes positron emission
60 0 60
29Cu + +1e -> 28Ni
d. Gallium-66 undergoes electron capture
66
31 Ga + 0-1e -> 6630Zn
This study source was downloaded by 100000827506713 from CourseHero.com on 04-07-2023 06:29:01 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/48575956/CHEM120-Week-6-Assignmentdocx/
1. Please provide 4 applications or uses of radioactive isotopes. (2 points).
Therapeutic cancer radiation
Locating brain tumors
PET scans
Studying metabolism changes in various ailments
2. Give 3 examples of natural sources of radiation. Where are they found? Are they harmful? (2
points).
Radiation can come from everywhere. One of the largest sources is the sun. Other sources include the soil
and the air itself. These sources of radiation can be harmful in larger doses but in small doses they are
generally not harmful.
3. List and describe the 4 biological effects of radiation. (2 points).
Primarily there are 2 types of ways radiation can harm the body. These are to cause harm to the entirety of
the body or to cause genetic damage. So this question can be difficult to answer because “biological
effects” is very subjective, I don’t know to which classifications it is referring.
4. Write balanced chemical reactions for the following: (2 points each)
a. Cobolt-60 undergoes beta decay
60
Co +0 1e -> 60 63.5Ni
29
b. Americium-241 undergoes alpha decay
241
95 Am + 4 2He -> 237 93 Np
c. Copper-60 undergoes positron emission
60 0 60
29Cu + +1e -> 28Ni
d. Gallium-66 undergoes electron capture
66
31 Ga + 0-1e -> 6630Zn
This study source was downloaded by 100000827506713 from CourseHero.com on 04-07-2023 06:29:01 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/48575956/CHEM120-Week-6-Assignmentdocx/
