4.4 Atomic structure

Practice questions on Atomic structure

• A neutral atom of carbon-14 has a mass number of 14 and an atomic number of 6. State the n… (4 marks, Explain)
• Describe the structure of an atom of magnesium-24 and an atom of magnesium-25. Include the… (4 marks, Describe)
• Explain what is meant by the term 'isotopes' and describe how two isotopes of the same ele… (4 marks, Explain)
• Describe the differences between alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays in terms o… (4 marks, Describe)
• Explain why the half-life of a radioactive isotope is an important factor when choosing a … (4 marks, Explain)
• Explain why beta decay causes a change in the atomic number of a nucleus but does not caus… (4 marks, Explain)
• Explain why radioactive contamination is considered more hazardous than irradiation when a… (4 marks, Explain)
• Describe two sources of background radiation and explain why the level of background radia… (4 marks, Describe)
• Explain why the half-life of a radioactive isotope used as a medical tracer must be neithe… (4 marks, Explain)
• A worker in a nuclear power plant is required to handle equipment that may have been expos… (4 marks, Explain)
• Explain why nuclear fusion has not yet been used as a commercial source of energy, despite… (4 marks, Explain)
• Describe the products released during nuclear fission and explain why these products are i… (4 marks, Describe)
• Explain why nuclear fusion releases energy and describe the conditions needed for nuclear … (4 marks, Explain)
• A nuclear power station uses uranium-235 as fuel. Describe what happens during a chain rea… (4 marks, Describe)
• Explain the difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. In your answer, refer t… (4 marks, Explain)
• Americium-241 is used in smoke alarms. It is an alpha emitter with a half-life of 432 year… (4 marks, Explain)
• Explain why alpha decay causes a change in both the mass number and the atomic number of a… (4 marks, Explain)
• Explain the difference between radioactive contamination and irradiation, and state which … (4 marks, Explain)
• Explain why two atoms that have the same atomic number but different mass numbers are clas… (4 marks, Explain)
• A neutral atom of chlorine-35 becomes a negative ion. Explain what happens to the subatomi… (4 marks, Explain)