Isotope S (half-life 6.0 h) decays to short-lived isotope R (half-life 0.20 h)
CHEMISTRY · Multi-part · US High School · Chemistry · Atomic Structure & Nuclear · Atomic Structure & Nuclear
Problem
Isotope S (half-life 6.0 h) decays to short-lived isotope R (half-life 0.20 h), which then decays to stable isotope T. A sample contains only isotope S at t = 0.
(a) Determine the time required for the number of S atoms to decrease to 1.0 % of its initial value.
(b) At the time found in part (a), assume that every atom of R produced has already decayed to T because R’s half-life is so short. Under this approximation, estimate what percentage of the original atoms have become isotope T.