The half-life for the radioactive decay of U-238 is 4.5 billion years and is independent of initial concentration. How long will it take for 10% of the U-238 atoms in a sample of U-238 to decay? If a sample of U-238 initially contained 1.5 * 1018 atoms when the universe was formed 13.8 billion years ago, how many U-238 atoms does it contain today?

Chemistry: Matter and Change
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ISBN:9780078746376
Author:Dinah Zike, Laurel Dingrando, Nicholas Hainen, Cheryl Wistrom
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Chapter16: Reaction Rates
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 74A
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The half-life for the radioactive decay of U-238 is 4.5 billion years and is independent of initial concentration. How long will it take for 10% of the U-238 atoms in a sample of U-238 to decay? If a sample of U-238 initially contained 1.5 * 1018 atoms when the universe was formed 13.8 billion years ago, how many U-238 atoms does it contain today?

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