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Radioactive Decay
Also known as nuclear decay, radioactive decay is the decrease of radiation through time.
500 Questions
What happens during radioactive decay?
Asked by Wiki User
The timing of radioactive decay is unpredictable.
The causes of radioactive decay are instability of a nucleus and chance events. Examples of these chance events are collisions by subatomic particles, vacuum fluctuations, and the like - unpredictable.
What is the nuclear decay equation for rubidium?
Asked by Wiki User
The equation for the beta decay of 86Rb:3786Rb --> 3886Sr+ -10e
where the -10e represents a beta particle or electron.
Why is the use of carbon -14 dating limited?
Asked by Wiki User
After perhaps 10 or 20 times the half-life, the remaining amount of carbon-14 will be insignificant, and can't be accurately measured.
What is the nuclear decay equation for fluorine 17?
Asked by Wiki User
The equation for the beta decay of 17F: 917F --> 817O+ 10e + ve
where the 10e is a positive beta particle or positron.
What is the nuclear decay equation for hydrogen 3?
Asked by Wiki User
The equation for the beta decay of 3H is:
13H --> 23He + -10e
where -10e represents a negative beta particle or electron.
What is the nuclear decay equation for copper 64?
Asked by Wiki User
Cu decays by either negative or positive beta emission.
The equation for the negative beta decay of 64Cu is:
2964Cu --> 3064Zn + -10e
where -10e represents a negative beta particle or electron.
The equation for the positive beta decay of 64Cu is:
2964Cu --> 2864Ni + 10e
where 10e represents a positive beta particle or positron.
What is the nuclear decay equation for hydrogen-hydrogen?
Asked by Wiki User
The only hydrogen isotope that undergoes any type of radioactive decay is tritium (hydrogen-3), it undergoes beta decay to become helium-3.
If that's not what you were asking about, I'm confused by your question.
What is the nuclear decay equation for sodium 24?
Asked by Wiki User
The equation for the beta decay of 24Na is: 1124Na --> 1224Mg + -10e
where the e is a negative beta particle or electron.
What is the nuclear decay equation for potassium 40?
Asked by Wiki User
There are three beta decay modes for 40K, and so three equations.
The equation for the negative beta decay of 40K: 1940K --> 2040Ca + -10e
where the -10e represents a beta particle or electron.
The equation for the positive beta decay of 40K: 1940K --> 1840Ar+ 10e
where the 10e represents a positive beta particle or positron.
The equation for the decay of 40K by electron capture is:1940K + -10e --> 1840Ar + ve
Does fermium-257 undergo nuclear decay?
Asked by Wiki User
Alpha decay to californium 253. The half life of fermium 257 is 100.5 days.
What is the equation to describe the beta decay of polonium -220?
Asked by Wiki User
210 4 214
84 PO -------> 2 alpha + 86 RN
Why is carbon dating only useful for dating living things?
Asked by Wiki User
The process in which humans carbon date things involves the subject to be unliving, or rather, by the end of the process they would be unliving.
What is the nuclear decay equation for iodine 131?
Asked by Wiki User
The equation for the beta decay of 32P:
1532P --> 1632S + -10e
where the e is a beta particle, represented as an electron.
The daughter atom is sulfur and has an atomic number of 16.
What is a radioactive decay series and when does it end?
Asked by Wiki User
Usually called a 'decay chain', there is a series of radioactive decays which end with a stable isotope. Ex: uranium undergoes about 14 steps in the decay chain that ends with the formation of a stable isotope of Lead.
What is the difference between nuclear decay and nuclear fission?
Asked by Wiki User
- Nuclear decay is any spontaneous process where unstable nuclei release extra energy to arrive at a more stable state. Typical decay processes are Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Some large unstable nuclei (e.g. Plutonium-240) can sometimes decay by spontaneous fission.
- Nuclear fission is a process where certain large nuclei (e.g. Uranium-235 & Plutonium-239) absorb a neutron and then split into two smaller nuclei and a few free neutrons. Some large unstable nuclei (e.g. Plutonium-240) don't need to be hit by a neutron to fission.
- Nuclear fusion is a process where small nuclei under unusual conditions of very high temperature and very high pressure combine to form larger nuclei.
All three processes above are exothermic.
In stars nuclear fusion stops at nickel and iron (further fusion past this would be endothermic). If all we had was the above processes then that would be where the periodic table ended (therefore there could not be nuclear fission as such heavy nuclei could not exist). However stars die, and some die so spectacularly we call them supernovas.
When a supernova occurs, an intense shock wave blows all the outer layers of the star away at very high velocity. At these velocities nuclei collide so hard that normally impossible endothermic nuclear fusion reactions occur. The rest of the periodic table is filled here, including many transuranics not found naturally on earth (e.g. Americium, Californium, Berkelium).
What type of nuclear decay release energy but not an particle?
Asked by Wiki User
All nuclear decay releases both energy and particles. Even gamma rays from the meta stable decay of Technetium-99m, being only photons, are particles, because a photon is considered a particle - or is it energy? - or is it mass? - hmmm? - see quantum mechanics on that one.
Also, Einsten's famous mass energy equivalence equation e = mc2 states rather plainly that energy is mass and mass is energy. That means that if nuclear decay releases energy, then it also releases mass, and vice versa. There is no way around the equivalence.
Do not misunderstand this. The equation does not mean that energy can be converted into mass or vice versa, it means that energy is mass and vice versa. Neither energy nor mass can be created nor destroyed. So, when an atomic bomb goes off and loses mass generating a high amount of energy, the mass that is lost is simply carried away with the energy.
Sorry if it seems I deviated from the topic, but I did not. This is part of reinforcing the answer and enhancing the explanation.
How does radioactive decay become radioactive?
Asked by Wiki User
That depends on the specific radioisotope. For instance, uranium 238 emits an alpha particle during radioactive decay, reducing the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus by 2 each and producing thorium 234. On the other hand, carbon 14 emits a beta particle (an electron) during radioactive decay, decreasing the number of neutrons and increasing the number of protons by 1 each and producing nitrogen 14. There are quite a few other examples with different changes depending on the type of radioactive decay.
Why does carbon-14 dating only work for objects that are less than 50000 years old?
Asked by Wiki User
After a certain number of half-lives elapses, the remaining amount of carbon-14 is too low to measure with precision. Also, the risk of contamination becomes much greater; i.e., a small contamination will have a larger effect.
Why is carbon dating important in history?
Asked by Wiki User
Carbon dating is the measuring of the proportion of carbon atoms which are of isotopic mass 14. These heavy isotopes of carbon decay into nitrogen, and the amount of time taken for half of them to decay is a fixed value, which archaeologists use to determine the age of a find.
Why can't carbon dating be used to determine the age of petrified wood?
Asked by Wiki User
Cosmic ray protons blast nuclei in the upper atmosphere, producing neutrons which in turn bombard nitrogen, the major constituent of the atmosphere. This neutron bombardment produces the radioactive isotope carbon-14. The radioactive carbon-14 combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and is incorporated into the cycle of living things.
What radioactive decay of uranium?
Asked by Wiki User
The nucleus is too large to be stable. There is the theory of grouping of nucleons into alpha particles inside the nucleus and, through oscillations of the nucleus, one of these on one end of the nucleus can be repelled with a great enough force to push it out of the nucleus.
What is the nuclear decay equation for cesium 137?
Asked by Wiki User
The equation for the beta decay of 137Cs is: 55137Cs --> 56137Ba + -10e
where the -10e is a negative beta particle or electron.
What is the nuclear decay equation for an example of alpha decay?
Asked by GeoHarvey
There are a number of radioactive isotopes of copper, choosing 66Cu as on that undergoes negative beta decay, the equation is:
2966Cu --> 3066Zn + -10e
Where e represents the beta particle, which can also be viewed as an electron.
What follows radioactive decay?
Asked by Wiki User
The final product is a stable isotope, but what it is depends on the decay. The intermediate steps constitute what is called a decay chain.
For example, one well known decay chain is that of thorium-232, which goes through a series of radioactive isotopes decaying each to the next. The final product is lead-208, which stops the process since it is stable and does not decay further.
Other decay chains produce other results. Sometimes the first decay produces a stable result, as in the case of tritium, which decays to helium-3.
