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The ratio neutrons/protons in radioactive isotopes is the cause of their innstability.
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What is the lightest element that can undergo radioactive decay and what type of decay occurs in that element?
The lightest "element" that can undergo radioactive decay is the isotope hydrogen-3, which undergoes beta decay. The lightest element with no radioactively stable isotopes is technetium, and its isotopes have different modes of decay.
Importance of radioactive decay?
it is used by scientist to to calculate a rock's age
When an isotope is what it does not undergo radioactive decay?
friends are like seashells you collect on the way
Does the element aluminum undergo radioactive decay?
All elements have some isotopes that undergo radioactive decay, the question is how fast.Aluminum comes in three major isotopes, each with their own half-life:Al-26: 730000 years - 0% in natural aluminumAl-27: Stable - 100% in natural aluminumAl-28: 2.3 minutes - 0% in natural aluminumSo as natural aluminum is 100% Al-27 it does not undergo radioactive decay
Does silicon undergo radioactive decay?
The 3 isotopes that make up all naturally occurring silicon (28, 29, 30) on earth are all stable and thus do not undergo radioactive decay. But other silicon isotopes that are lighter or heavier can be produced by particle accelerators, nuclear reactors, nuclear explosions, or rarely cosmic rays do undergo radioactive decay via either -Beta, +Beta, or Gamma emission depending on isotope.Silicon does exist in space near very active stars, supernovas, etc. in the form of isotopes that undergo radioactive decay.The longest lived silicon isotope (32) that will undergo radioactive decay, has a halflife of roughly 700 years and thus will effectively completely decay to stable sulfur-32 in less than 4000 years. All other silicon isotopes that undergo radioactive decay have halflives so short that they finish decaying to stable isotopes of other elements in much less than a single day.
When an isotope is blank it does not undergo radioactive decay?
when an isotope is it does not undergo radioactive decay
What type of radioactive decay results in uranium becoming thorium?
Alpha decay
What is Radioactive decay of Uranium-235?
alpha, to Thorium-231
What type of radioactive decay results in uranium-238 becoming thorium-234?
Alpha decay
What is it called when atoms are unstable and undergo a nuclear decay?
radioactive decay
What type of radioactive decay resulted in uranium-238 becoming thorium-234 and how do you know?
This is alpha decay.If you notice carefully, uranium has 238 atomic wt. and on decaying becomes thorium with atomic wt. of 234. hence it lost atomic wt. of 4. He, which is released in alpha decay, has atomic no. of 4. Hence, if uranium decayed into Helium and Thorium, it will undergo Alpha Decay
What type of radioactive decay resulted in uranium 238 becoming thorium 234 and how do you know?
This is an alpha decay.
What is the radioactive gas produced when uranium and thorium decay?
Isotopes of radon (Rn)
Where did radon originate?
Radon is a radioactive gas in the decay series of uranium and thorium.
Why does radon undergo radioactive decay?
No stable isotopes.
What radon gas is produced?
Radon is a natural chemical element; it can be found inthe radioactive decay series of uranium, thorium.
Why do you find all three alpha beta and gamma in many radioactive elements?
Because many radioactive elements undergo what is called a decay chain, or multiple decays until they finally become stable. For instance Thorium-232 undergoes a number of alpha and beta decays until it finally becomes stable as Lead-208. As such, while a compound may contain mostly Thorium-232, there may be a minute amount of other particles resulting from the decay of Thorium-232 producing different radioactive particles from Thorium-232. Another reason could be that certain radioactive particles can undergo more than one type of decay. For instance, Bi-213 can undergo either alpha or beta decay, and thus a sample of Bi-213 would emit both particles. Lastly, any particle that undergoes gamma decay will eventually undergo some other type of radioactive decay, since gamma ray emission does not actually change the atomic # of the element and thus does not make it eternally stable. Thus compounds producing gamma rays will always produce some other type of radiation as well, for instance Cobalt-60 produces gamma rays and beta particles
