Consider the following statements regarding radioactive decay kinetics: 1. Radioactive disintegration follows first-order chemical reaction kinetics where the rate of decay is directly proportional to the number of undecayed nuclei. 2. The half-life of a radioactive isotope is inversely proportional to its decay constant. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Radioactive decay processes proceed independently of external physical conditions and follow first-order rate laws where decay rate equals the product of decay constant and remaining active nuclei. The half-life of a radioactive nuclide is mathematically defined as natural logarithm of two divided by the decay constant, confirming an inverse proportionality relationship. Zero-order reactions do not apply to natural nuclear disintegration. Carbon dating utilizes the known half-life of carbon-14 to estimate archaeological sample ages.