Po-218 is an alpha emitter with a half-life of 3.0 minutes. If a sample contains 42 mg of Po-218, how many alpha emissions would occur in 6.0 minutes?
Well, 3/4 have disintegrated.
3/4 *42mg/218 * avagradro's number.
To find out how many alpha emissions would occur in 6.0 minutes, we first need to determine how many half-lives occur within that time frame.
A half-life is the time it takes for half of the radioactive material to decay. In this case, Po-218 has a half-life of 3.0 minutes, meaning that after 3.0 minutes, half of the initial amount would decay.
To calculate the number of half-lives in 6.0 minutes, divide 6.0 by the half-life of 3.0:
Number of half-lives = 6.0 minutes / 3.0 minutes per half-life = 2.0 half-lives
Since each half-life represents one decay event, we can conclude that two alpha emissions would occur in 6.0 minutes.