What relationship do atomic numbers and radioactivity have?

Answer 1

The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. The number of protons in an atom's nucleus determines the chemical identity of that atom. It tells us which element it is. The elemental identity of an atom is determined by the number of protons in that atom's nucleus. This was bit repetitive, but it is a critical concept in chemistry and physics. Atomic Mass might be thought of as the "weight" of an atom. Atomic mass is found by adding up the masses of all the protons, neutrons, and electrons in the atom. As electrons weigh less than 1/1800th of what a proton weighs, they contribute only the smallest amount to the weight of the atom (compared to the protons and neutrons), regardless of which atom it is. These weights are expressed in atomic mass units because the "normal" terms for the expression of weight (mass) are far too large to be "easy to work with" on the atomic scale. Let's do a quick example with the two stable isotopes of lithium. Lithium is element number three on the Periodic Table. It has 3 protons in its nucleus, and 3 is its atomic number. (Repeating, the number of protons in the nucleus is equal to the atomic number, and this identifies the element under investigation.) Lithium has one "version" or isotope that has 3 neutrons. The atomic mass of 3Li is about 6.015 or so. Note: subtracting the atomic number from the atomic mass gives us the number of neutrons in the nucleus of that atom. The 6.015 minus the 3 yields an answer of 3 for the number of neutrons. There is also a lithium atom that has 4 neutrons in its nucleus. It's 4Li and its atomic mass is about 7.016 or so. Same math. Take the 7.016 and subtract the 3 and get 4 as the answer - and the number of neutrons in the nucleus of that atom. Those are the two stable isotopes of lithium. (There are a number of other isotopes of lithium, but they're all unstable and disappear fairly quickly after being made in the physics lab.)

Answer 2

There is no relationship between atomic number and radioactivity.

Atomic nuclei, according to Bohr's model, are comprised of protons and neutrons. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus. The number of neutrons bound in the nucleus does not change the atomic number, but instead determines the isotope. There are many isotopes for each atomic number.

The radioactive decay constant (denoted as lambda) carries the units [1/s] and can be thought of as the likelihood of a particular isotope to undergo radioactive decay in one second. This likelihood is unique to each isotope and we have not yet discovered strong functions to correlate them.

If curious, search the net for the "Chart of the Nuclides," it is akin to an expanded periodic table for nuclear physicists.

Answer 3

The atomic number of an element indicates the number of protons in its nucleus, which determines its chemical properties. Radioactivity is the spontaneous emission of radiation from an unstable nucleus. Elements with higher atomic numbers (typically above 83) tend to be more prone to radioactivity due to the greater instability of their nuclei.

Answer 4

the atomic number is the measure of radioactivity in a chemical