The reactor incident in Chernobyl in 1986 was caused by operating errors. The moderator materials caught fire and radionuclides escaped. Among other things, ¹33Cs with a half-life of 30 years was spread across the entire continent of Europe. (i) ¹3Cs is a ß-emitter. Write down the nuclear reaction for the decay of ¹33Cs, specifying the N and Z values of the decay products. Note: the element names are not required. (ii) Describe the processes in the atomic nucleus during ß decay. (iii) Calculate by what percentage the concentration of radioactive ¹33Cs in the soil has decreased since 1986 (36 years ago).
The reactor incident in Chernobyl in 1986 was caused by operating errors. The moderator materials caught fire and radionuclides escaped. Among other things, ¹33Cs with a half-life of 30 years was spread across the entire continent of Europe. (i) ¹3Cs is a ß-emitter. Write down the nuclear reaction for the decay of ¹33Cs, specifying the N and Z values of the decay products. Note: the element names are not required. (ii) Describe the processes in the atomic nucleus during ß decay. (iii) Calculate by what percentage the concentration of radioactive ¹33Cs in the soil has decreased since 1986 (36 years ago).
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(b) The reactor incident in Chernobyl in 1986 was caused by operating errors. The moderator
materials caught fire and radionuclides escaped. Among other things, ¹33Cs with a half-life of
30 years was spread across the entire continent of Europe.
(1) ¹3Cs is a B-emitter. Write down the nuclear reaction for the decay of ¹33Cs, specifying the
N and Z values of the decay products. Note: the element names are not required.
(ii) Describe the processes in the atomic nucleus during ß decay.
137
(iii) Calculate by what percentage the concentration of radioactive ¹33Cs in the soil has
decreased since 1986 (36 years ago).
55
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