The highly radioactive isotope Tritium () possesses a known first-order half-life of . If a sealed v — Chemical Kinetics Chemistry Question
Question
The highly radioactive isotope Tritium (${}^3H$) possesses a known first-order half-life of $12.3 \text{ years}$. If a sealed vessel is initially loaded with precisely $32 \text{ mg}$ of pure tritium, exactly how many milligrams will remain unreacted after $49.2 \text{ years}$?
Answer: C
💡 Solution & Explanation
The total number of elapsed half-lives is $n = \text{Total Time} / t_{1/2} = 49.2 / 12.3 = 4$. Using the fractional decay formula for first-order kinetics, the amount remaining is $N_0 / 2^n = 32 / 2^4 = 32 / 16 = 2 \text{ mg}$.
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