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Its nucleus is unstable.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoIt will have either too many neutrons or too few neutrons to be stable or one or more protons or neutrons will be in excited metastable states.
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If a substance is radioactive is its compound radioactive?
Yes. A radioactive atom is a radioactive atom. If that atom exists as a single atom and is uncombined and it is radioactive, it's radioactive. If that same atom is chemically combined with another or other atoms, it's still radioactive. It's just that simple.
What is an unstable atom?
An unstable atom is an atom that has an imbalance in the ratio of protons to neutrons in its nucleus, making it prone to undergo radioactive decay. This decay results in the emission of particles or energy in order to achieve a more stable configuration. Unstable atoms will continue to decay until they reach a state of stability.
What is a radioactive atoms?
A radioactive atom is an atom that has an unstable nuclear force, and therefore either absorbs or emits a radioactive particle.
What are the characteristics of a atom?
A radioactive atom is an atom of an element with an unstable nucleus.
What is the final result of radioactive decay?
radioactive isotope
True or false unstable atom that decomposes and emits energy is called retroactive?
False. An unstable atom that decomposes and emits energy is called a radioactive atom. The process is known as radioactive decay.
What is the difference between an atom of carbon and atom of uranium?
The usual Carbon-12 is not radioactive. Uranium is radioactive. Radioactive means that the atom splits and spits out some energy or matter (with matter, the atom changes to another atom). Luckily, all the atoms don't split at once.
Where in the atom do radioactive emissions originate?
They originate in the nucleus of the atom.
What happens to a radioactive atom after it has emitted its radiation?
The initial atom is transformed in another atom.
Is a radioactive atom always an isotope?
No, not always.
What is the term for an atom the decays?
unstable, radioactive
What is radioactive in physics?
the unstable nucleus of an atom
