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Large nuclei tend to be radioactive because they are unstable and have an excess of protons and neutrons, leading to a higher likelihood of undergoing radioactive decay to achieve a more stable configuration.

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4mo ago

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What very large nuclei tend to be unstable?

Nuclei with very large atomic numbers, such as those above Z=83, tend to be unstable due to the increasing electrostatic repulsion between protons. This can lead to spontaneous radioactive decay in the form of alpha decay, beta decay, or fission.


What nuclei is not radioactive?

The stable nuclei that are not radioactive include, for example, carbon-12, oxygen-16, and neon-20. These nuclei have a balanced composition of protons and neutrons that do not undergo radioactive decay.


Does radioactive isotopes have a stable nuclei?

Radioactive isotopes are not stable.


Suppose the pennies represent nuclei of radioactive element what would the heads and tail represent?

In this analogy, the heads of the pennies could represent stable nuclei, while the tails could represent radioactive nuclei. Stable nuclei do not undergo spontaneous decay, while radioactive nuclei have the potential to decay and emit radiation over time.


How do some nuclei change?

Atomic nuclei are changed by nuclear reactions or radioactive disintegration.


What is fision?

fission- is a process in which the nuclei of radioactive atoms are split in to two or more smaller nuclei.


What does it mean for something to be radioactive?

its nuclei can split apart


What are atoms that emit particles and energy from their nuclei?

radioactive


How do nuclear atoms differ from regular atoms?

All atoms are nuclear, in that they all have nuclei. Some atoms have unstable nuclei, making them radioactive. I'm afraid I have no idea what you mean by "nuclear atoms," unless you meant to say radioactive atoms, in which case the answer is "they have unstable nuclei and they're radioactive."


Why do very large nuclei tend to be unstable?

Very large nuclei have more protons, which increases the electromagnetic repulsion among them, making the nucleus less stable. Additionally, for very large nuclei, the strong nuclear force may not be strong enough to overcome the repulsive forces, leading to instability. Lastly, large nuclei may have too many neutrons, which can lead to instability due to the imbalance in the ratio of protons to neutrons.


Why is alpha decay generally found occurring in atoms with large nuclei while beta decay is usually associated with much lighter nuclei?

I believe it has to do with fusion and fission, as all radioactive isotopes want to be as stable as possible.


Why are actinides radioactive?

Actinides are radioactive because they have unstable atomic nuclei that tend to undergo nuclear decay by emitting radiation in the form of alpha, beta, or gamma rays. This radioactive decay process results in the transformation of actinides into other elements, often leading to the formation of stable isotopes over time.