Question
Part A When aluminum-27 is bombarded with a neutron, a gamma ray is emitted. What radioactive isotope is produced? aluminum-28 magnesium-28 silicon-27 magnesium-27 silicon-28 Submit Request Answer
Ask by Wilson Erickson. in the United States
Jan 22,2025
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Answer
The radioactive isotope produced is aluminum-28.
Solution
When aluminum-27 (\( \text{Al-27} \)) is bombarded with a neutron (\( n \)), the primary reaction is the capture of the neutron by the aluminum nucleus:
\[
\text{Al-27} + n \rightarrow \text{Al-28}^*
\]
The \( \text{Al-28}^* \) nucleus is in an excited state and typically releases excess energy by emitting a gamma ray (\( \gamma \)) to reach a more stable state:
\[
\text{Al-28}^* \rightarrow \text{Al-28} + \gamma
\]
Thus, the radioactive isotope produced in this reaction is **aluminum-28 (\( \text{Al-28} \))**. This isotope is indeed radioactive, with a half-life of about 2.245 minutes, decaying into magnesium-28 (\( \text{Mg-28} \)) through beta-plus decay.
**Answer:**
aluminum-28
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When aluminum-27 is bombarded with a neutron, it captures the neutron and becomes aluminum-28, which is an unstable isotope. This reaction is a straightforward neutron capture process followed by the emission of a gamma ray as the aluminum-28 nucleus transitions to a more stable state. In real-world applications, neutron activation analysis uses similar processes to detect trace elements in materials, where isotopes are produced via neutron bombardment. This technique is employed in various fields, including archaeology for dating artifacts and environmental science for analyzing pollutants.
