Radioactive Decay

BSEN-625
ADVANCES IN FOOD
ENGINEERING
Activity

The rate of decay of a radionuclide

It is the number of atoms that decay
per unit time
Units Bacquarel (Bq): one
desintegation/second
1 Bq = 1 s-1
Curie-(Ci): activity of 1 g of Ra226
Ci: 1 Ci = 3.7x1010 Bq
Exponential decay

A/Ao

The activity of a
pure radionuclide
decreases
exponentially with
time

t
Exponential radioactive decay
law
If N = # of atoms of a radionuclide in a
sample @ a given time:
I .C. : N = No, t = 0;
dN = Ndt
ln No = 0 + c
dN ln N = t + ln No
A= = N
dt N
ln = t
dN No
dt or
N
N
ln N = t + c No
= e t
Half-life, T

A
= e t
Ao
Time required for 1
the activity of a = e T
2
radionuclide drop 1
by a factor of one- T = ln = ln 2
2
half ln 2 0.693
T= =

Decay constant
 Exponential decay in term of T

A/Ao
1
N A
= = e 0.63t / T A
No Ao = e 0.63t
Ao
t /T
A 1
= 0.5 =
0.693
Ao 2 T
0.25
A t 0.693t
ln = ln 2 = 0.125
Ao T T
T 2T 3T t
Example

Calculate the activity of a 30-MBq source of

Na-24 after 2.5 d. What is its decay constant
Solution
{ T = half-life =15 h (appendix D)

0.693 0.693
= = = 0.0462h 1
T 15
Ao = 30MBq, t = 2.5d 24h / d = 60h
A = 30e ( 0.046260) = 1.88MBq
Mean life,

The average of all

the individual 1
t
lifetimes that atoms
e
in a sample of the A/Ao
radionuclide
experience
The mean value of
t under the
exponential curve t
Mean life,

It defines a
rectangle with area 1
t
e
equal to:
1 1
1 = e t dt = e t |0 = A/Ao
0
1 T
= =
0.693
>T

t
Specific Activity, SA

Activity per unit mass

Bq/g
For a pure radionuclide the SA is
determined by its decay constant, , or
half-life T, and by its atomic weight M:

6.02 10 23 4.17 10 23
SA = = [ Bq / g ]
M MT

# of atoms per gram of nuclide In [s]

Example

What is the SA of Ra226 in Bq/g

T = 1600 y (appendix
M = A = 226
4.17 10 23 4.17 10 23
SA = =
MT 226(1600 365 24 3600)
SA = 3.66 1010 s 1 g 1 = 3.7 1010 Bq / g
SA (T,A)

1600 226
SA = [Ci / g ]
T A
1Ci = 3.7 10 Bq
10

T is expressed in years
Serial radioactivity decay

A sample in which one radionuclide

produces one or more radioactive
offspring in a chain
{ Secular equilibrium
{ Transient equilibrium
{ No equilibrium
Secular equilibrium (T1>>T2)

At any time a Long-Lived parent (1)

decays into a Short-Lived daughter (2),
which decays to a stable nuclide
T1>>T2
A1of the parent is constant (assuming
short intervals of time compared to T1)
At any time AT = A1 + A2
Secular equilibrium (T1>>T2)

dN 2
= A1 2 N 2
ln( A1 2 N 2 ) = 2t + c
dt I .C. = N 2 = N 20 @ t = 0
dN 2
= dt c = ln( A1 2 N 20 )
A1 2 N 2
A1 = constant A1 2 N 2
ln = 2t
u = A1 2 N 2 ; du = 2 dN 2 A1 2 N 20
du
= 2 dt A2 = A1 (1 e 2t ) + A20e 2t
u
Secular equilibrium
Activity A2 relatively short-
A2=A1
lived radionuclide as A1
function of time
I.C: A20 =0
Activity of daughter builds A2 secular

Activities
up to that of parent in about equilibrium
7 half-lives
Daughter decays at the T1>>T2
same rate it is produced
(A2=A1)
Secular equilibrium is said
to exist
Total activity is 2(A1) 0 ~7T2 t
Secular equilibrium
In terms of numbers of atoms

1 N1 = 2 N 2
A chain of n short-lived radionuclides can all be in
secular equilibrium with a long-lived parent
The activity of each member of the chain = activity
of parent
Total activity = (n+1)(A of original parent)
General Case

If there is no restriction on the relative

magnitudes of T1 and T2:
dN 2
= 1 N 2 2 N 2
dt
I .C. = N 20 = 0
1 N10 t t
N2 = (e e )
1 2

2 1
2 >> 1 and A20 = 0
1 N1 = 2 N 2!!! (also describes a secular equilibrium)
Transient equilibrium (T1>T2)

N20 = 0
T1>T2
A2 of the daughter initially build-up
steadily
With time, e-2t becomes negligible,
since 2>1
Transient equilibrium (T1>T2)
1 N10 t t
N2 = (e e )
1 2

2 1
t >> 0
1 N10 t
N2 = (e )
1

2 1
21 N10 t
2 N 2 = (e )
1

2 1
2 A1
A2 =
2 1
Activities as function of time
After initially increasing, the A1 + A2
daughter activity A2 goes T1 > T2
thru a maximum and
decreases at the same rate
as the parent activity Transient
A1

activities
equilibrium
Thus, transient equilibrium A10
exist
The total activity also
reaches a maximum, early
than the daughter A2
The time transient
equilibrium is reached t
0
depends on T1 & T2
No Equilibrium (T1 < T2)

When a daughter (N20 = 0) has a

longer T2 than the parent T1 its activity
build ups a maximum and then
declines
The parent eventually decays away (T1
is shorter)
Thus, only the daughter is left
No equilibrium occurs
No Equilibrium (T1 < T2)

Activities as T2 > T1
function of time A10
when T2 > T1 and A1 + A2
A1

activities
N20 = 0
Non equilibrium
occurs
Only the daughter A2
activity remains 0 t
Example

Starting with a 10 GBq (1010 Bq)

sample of pure Sr90 at time t = 0, how
long will it take for the total activity
(Sr90 + Y90) to build up 17.5 GBq?
Solution
Appendix D
90 - decays with a T = 29.12 y into
38Sr 39Y , which
90
- decays into stable 40Zr90 with T = 64 h
T1 >> T2
Secular equilibrium is reached in about 7T2 = 7x64=
448h
At the end of this time, the Sr90 activity A1 has not
diminished appreciably
The Y90 activity A2 has increased to the level
A2=A1=10 GBq
Total activity AT = 20 GBq
Solution

Time at which Y90 reaches 7.5 GBq

The answer will be less than 448 h

A2 = A1 (1 e 2t ) + A20 e 2t
A20 = 0
2 = 0.693 / T2 = 0.0108h 1 ; A1 = 10GBq, A2 = 7.5GBq
7.5 = 10(1 e 0.0108t )
t = 128h
Example

How many gram of Y90 are in secular

equilibrium with 1 mg of Sr90?
Solution

The amount of Y90 will be that having the

same activity as 1mg of Sr90
The SA of Sr90 of (T1 = 29.12y) is:
1600 226
SA = = 138Ci / g
29.12 90
A1 = 10 3 g 138Ci / g = 0.138Ci
A1 = A2 (secular equilibrium)
1600 y 226
SA 2 = = 5.5 105 Ci / g
1 d 1 y 90
64h
24 h 365 d
0.138Ci
m= = 0.251g
5.5 10 Ci / g
5
Example

A sample contains 1 mCi of Os191 at time t

= 0. The isotope decays by - emission
into metastable Ir191m which then decay by
emission into Ir191 .

Os Ir Ir
191 191m 191
76 15.4d 77 4.94s 77
Example

(a) how many grams of Os191 are

present at t = 0?
(b) how many mCi of Ir191m are present
at t = 25 d?
(c) how many atoms of Ir191m decay
between t = 100s and t = 102s?
(c) how many atoms of Ir191m decay
between t = 30d and t = 40d?
Solution

Secular equilibrium is reached at

7X4.9 = 34 s
Thus, A1 = A2 at the equilibrium
However, during the time considered
at (b) and (d) A2 will have decayed
appreciably (transient equilibrium)
Solution

(a) Grams of Os191

1600 365 226
SA1 = = 4.49 10 4 Ci / g
15.4 191
10 3 Ci 8
m= = 2.23 10 g
4.49 10 Ci / g
4

(b) At t = 25d
0.69625 / 15.4
A1 = A2 = 1 e = 0.325mCi
Solution

(c) Between 100s and 102 s secular

equilibrium exists with the osmium
source essentially still at its original
activity:
@ t = 100 s
A2 = 1mCi = 3.7 107 s 1
during the next 2 s
# atoms = 2s 3.7 107 s 1 = 7.4 107
Solution

(d) Between 30 and 40s A1 and A2 do not

stay constant
Transient equilibrium exists, so the # of
atoms of Parent and Daughter that decay
are equal
40
3.7 107 0.0450t 40
3.7 107 e 0.693t /15.4 = e |30
30
0.0450
= 8.22 108 (0.165 0.259)
= 7.73 107