Beta particle
The mass of a neutron is slightly greater than the mass of a proton. The neutron has no electric charge while the proton has a positive charge (+1 elementary charge). The mass of a neutron and a proton are 1.67492729(28)×10−27 kilograms and 1.672621637(83)×10−27 kilograms respectively. That makes the neutron about 25/10,000ths more massive than the proton.
Stability of a nucleus is dictated by the neutron/proton ratio. Too large or too small and the nucleus is unstable.
Heavy water is made with Deuterium which is an isotope of Hydrogen that has one Neutron in the atomic nucleus. Common hydrogen does not have any neutrons in the nucleus.This extra neutron makes the water heavier (twice the mass per atom) and more reactive.Heavy water is deuterium oxide. Ordinary water is Hydrogen Oxide.
The basic difference is that in radioactive decay, an unstable isotope spontaneously undergoes a nuclear change. In nuclear fission, a fissionable isotope absorbs a neutron, becomes unstable, and then fissions by breaking into a couple of pieces and releasing one or more neutrons plus some energy. Nuclear fission is usually thought of as intentionally caused. Note: It is possible for a fissionable isotope to spontaneously fission without capturing a neutron. This is not the usual mode of "breakdown" of the isotope, but it is possible in a small number of cases. Links to the relevant Wikipedia articles are provided.
A normal periodic table does not list isotopes, but elements, almost all of which occur in more than one isotope, and there is probably at least one radioactive isotope for every element. Instead of the periodic table, a table of nuclides is needed to answer this question.
Proton or neutron
The mass of a neutron is slightly greater than the mass of a proton. The neutron has no electric charge while the proton has a positive charge (+1 elementary charge). The mass of a neutron and a proton are 1.67492729(28)×10−27 kilograms and 1.672621637(83)×10−27 kilograms respectively. That makes the neutron about 25/10,000ths more massive than the proton.
One neutron is approximately equal in mass to one proton. Since an electron is much smaller in mass compared to a neutron or a proton, it would take a large number of electrons to equal the mass of one neutron.
The bullet that starts a fission reaction is a neutron. When a neutron collides with the nucleus of a fissile isotope, such as uranium-235, it can induce the nucleus to undergo fission, releasing more neutrons and a large amount of energy.
Stability of a nucleus is dictated by the neutron/proton ratio. Too large or too small and the nucleus is unstable.
Subatomic particles are proton, neutron, electron; these particle are some examples of the large group of elementary particles.
Heavy water is made with Deuterium which is an isotope of Hydrogen that has one Neutron in the atomic nucleus. Common hydrogen does not have any neutrons in the nucleus.This extra neutron makes the water heavier (twice the mass per atom) and more reactive.Heavy water is deuterium oxide. Ordinary water is Hydrogen Oxide.
Co-60 is an isotope of Co-59, which is a common component of steel. You get Co-60 by irradiating it with neutrons, so you get Co-60 in nuclear reactors, or anywhere else you have a neutron flux.
The basic difference is that in radioactive decay, an unstable isotope spontaneously undergoes a nuclear change. In nuclear fission, a fissionable isotope absorbs a neutron, becomes unstable, and then fissions by breaking into a couple of pieces and releasing one or more neutrons plus some energy. Nuclear fission is usually thought of as intentionally caused. Note: It is possible for a fissionable isotope to spontaneously fission without capturing a neutron. This is not the usual mode of "breakdown" of the isotope, but it is possible in a small number of cases. Links to the relevant Wikipedia articles are provided.
An atom consists of three basic parts: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons have a positive electric charge, neutrons have no electric charge (neutral), and electrons have a negative electric charge.
Neither sub-atomic particle travels intrinsically faster or slower than the other one. So the real answer is...it depends on how much kinetic energy is given to the sub atomic particle. And to a point, because neutrons are neutral (duh) they are useless as bullets in atom smashers like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Protons are used as bullets in the LHC because they have positive charges and can be accelerated to near light speed by the electro-magnetic fluxes of the collider. Can't do that with neutrons.
Hold the phone and let's back up. A proton can transform into a neutron and a neutron can transform into a proton. Both reactions are possible. Really! And some atomic nuclei are prone to undergoing a change based on exactly this idea. It's called beta decay, and it comes in the two "flavors" based on which conversion occurs. Protons collide at high speeds, and can tunnel through their electrostatic repulsion and attach into a di-proton structure with a very small half-life (on the scale of 1*10^-27 seconds). Once attached, there is a small but considerable probability that one proton will emit a beta particle (a positron and a neutrino) and create deuterium.It takes two protons billions of years to form a deuterium nucleus. The resulting energy released as gamma rays (electron-positron annihilation) is what causes the sun to shine, by the way. The only reason so much light is emitted it the sheer size of the sun, and thus the large number of protons.There are many other factors, like the average speed of a proton which relates to the probability that they can even overcome their electrostatic repulsion (because both are positively charged). Also, protons lose a small amount of energy during their deceleration when they come in contact with each other (called Brehmstralung radiation). Take an astrophysics course for the full detail. Neutron capture is a possible, but unobserved phenomena, in which a neutron knocked loose from another reaction could hypothetically collide with a proton, although little energy would be emitted by such a process.