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It's called alpha-decay. The two protons and two neutrons are removed in the form of alpha particles, or helium nuclei.

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What is another name given to clasts?

Fragments or particles.


Is oxygen stable or radioactive?

Oxygen, under normal conditions, is non-radioactive. But there are traces of radioactive isotopes present which makes the oxygen slightly radioactive. Additionally, these isotopes have long half-lives, so the radiation given off will not be a lot within a period of time.


Which state of matter have the least particles in a given volume?

In a given volume, a gas typically has the fewest particles compared to a solid or a liquid. This is because gas particles have more space between them and move around more freely than particles in solids and liquids.


What is the half life of francium?

It is a period of time when the radio active mass is halved. Radioactive metals disintegrate. In this disintegration the radio active atom emits either/or alpha/beta/gamma particles, and in doing so the given elements changed to a less massive element. Taking uranium for example. The isotope 234-U decays with beta emission to the isotopic element 234-Protactinium.in a period of 24 days. So if you had say 10g of 234-U in 24 days you would have 5g of 234-U . The other 5g would be the element 234-Protactinoum.


What best describes the information given by radiometric dating?

Radiometric dating provides an estimate of the age of a rock or fossil based on the decay of radioactive isotopes within it. By measuring the ratio of parent isotopes to daughter isotopes, scientists can determine the elapsed time since the rock or fossil formed. This technique is commonly used to determine the age of Earth materials and artifacts.

Related Questions

What is a high energy electron given off during radioactive decay called?

Beta Particles


Charged particles that are given off by the nuclei of radioisotopes as they decay are called?

Charged particles that are given off by the nuclei of radioisotopes as they decay are called decay products or radioactive decay daughters. Examples include alpha particles, beta particles, and positrons. These particles carry energy and momentum away from the decaying nucleus.


What word is given to describe substances that give off high energy particles?

Radioactive substances give off high-energy particles through the process of radioactive decay. These particles can include alpha particles, beta particles, or gamma rays.


What are the properties of radioactive particles?

Radioactive materials have unstable nuclei. That's what makes them what they are. The nucleus of a radionuclide will eventually decay. The time that must pass before this happens, and the manner in which the decay will take place vary from one radioisotope to another. As regards the length of time to decay, we cannot know for a given atom of a radionuclide just when it will decay. Certainly we can (and do) find what is called a half-life for each radioisotope. This is a statistically arrived at "average" for the length of time it will take for a given radioisotope to "lose" half its mass to decay. While we can't know when a given atom of something will decay, we can find, and with a great deal of accuracy, the length of time it will take for half of a large number of atoms of a given radionuclide to decay. When it comes to modes of radioactive decay, there are several, and each radioisotope has one of the modes as its own (though there are a few radionuclides that have a couple of different possible decay schemes). The decay schemes are spontaneous fission, alpha decay, beta decay (several kinds), proton emission, double proton emission, neutron emission, and cluster decay. This short post hits the nail on the head. More information is certainly out there, and Wikipedia has some good stuff posted. You'll find a link below to material that is on point.


What is half life of a isotope?

The half life of an isotope refers to the rate at which a radioactive isotope undergoes radioactive decay. Specifically, it is the amount of time it takes for half of a given sample of a radioactive isotope to decay.


Why is Radioactive decay is said to be random?

The underlying truth in radioactive decay is that on an individual basis, no unstable atom will have a predictable time until it will decay. We understand and characterize the decay of radionuclides on the basis of statistical analysis. Only by looking at a large number of atoms of a given isotope of a given element and counting the decay events over time can we quantify the decay rate. The term half-life is used to state (based on the statistics) when half of a given quantity of a substance will have undergone radioactive decay. Note that atoms are incredibly tiny things, and even if we have very tiny quantities of a given radioactive material, we'll have huge numbers of atoms of that material in the sample. The larger the number of atoms of material and the longer we count the decay events, the more accurate our half-life value will be. Having said all that, no one can predict when a given atom of any radionuclide will decay. Each is different, and that is the basis for the random nature of nuclear or radioactive decay.


Are infrared waves given off by plutonium?

No, plutonium does not naturally emit infrared waves. Plutonium is a radioactive element that primarily emits alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays as part of its decay process. Infrared waves are part of the electromagnetic spectrum and are typically associated with heat radiation rather than radioactive decay.


Is there Radioactive decay in microwaves?

No. Radioactive decay is the breakdown of the nucleus of an atom due to its instability. This may emit radiation in the form of gamma rays or subatomic particles. Microwave "radiation" is the name given to electromagnetic waves in a certain range of frequencies. It differs from gamma rays, x-rays, and visible light only in frequency and energy.


When radioactive decays stop?

It will stop when there is nothing left to decay. There is basically no way to stop certain nuclides (isotopes) from decaying.


Radioactive decay can be affected by?

The rate of decay of a radioactive element cannot be influenced by any physical or chemical change. It is a rather constant phenomenon that appears to be independent of all others. The rate of decay is given by an element's half life, which is the amount of time for approximately half of the atoms to decay.


When does an isotope undergo Decay?

An atom of a given isotope will undergo radioactive decay whenever it feels like it. No joke. The nucleus of a radioactive isotope is unstable. Always. But that atom has no predictable moment of instability leading immediately to the decay event. We use something called a half life to estimate how long it will take for half a given quantity of an isotope to undergo radioactive decay until half the original amount is left, but this is a statistically calculated period. No one knows how long it will take a given atom of a radioactive isotope to decay, except that those with very short half lives will pretty much disappear relatively quickly.


When an atom undergoes radioactive decay when does it become a completely different element?

An atom of a given isotope will undergo radioactive decay whenever it feels like it. No joke. The nucleus of a radioactive isotope is unstable. Always. But that atom has no predictable moment of instability leading immediately to the decay event. We use something called a half life to estimate how long it will take for half a given quantity of an isotope to undergo radioactive decay until half the original amount is left, but this is a statistically calculated period. No one knows how long it will take a given atom of a radioactive isotope to decay, except that those with very short half lives will pretty much disappear relatively quickly.