Radioactive Decay

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Radioactive Decay: Basics

 Some isotopes are unstable – usually because of their large size or because the number of
protons and neutrons within them are out of balance
 As a result, these isotopes will decay – emitting little chunks (radiation) in order to reduce
their size or bring them back into balance

Unstable nuclei decay by emitting high energy articles – radiation

 When an isotope emits radiation, the constitution of its nucleus (the number of protons and
neutron) changes
 As a result, the isotope will change into a different element

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Alpha Emission
  An alpha particle consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons
(It is emitted from large unstable nuclei)
 When an alpha particle is emitted from a nucleus:
o The nucleus loses 2 protons:
The proton (atomic) number decreases by 2
o The nucleus loses 4 particles (nucleons) in total:
The nucleon (mass) number decreases by 4
 Equation for alpha emission:

 Nuclear equations, just like chemical equations, balance:

o The sum of the upper (mass) numbers on the left of each equation should equal the
sum on the right
o The sum of the lower (atomic) numbers should also balance

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Beta Emission

 A beta particle is a high energy electron emitted from the nucleus

 It is emitted when a neutron in the nucleus suddenly changes into a proton – an electron
is created in order to balance the positive charge of the proton
(Note: The electron is created at the moment of decay – it is not present in the neutron
beforehand)
 When a beta particle is emitted from a nucleus:
o The number of protons in the nucleus increases by 1:
The proton (atomic) number increases by 1
 o The total number of particles in the nucleus remains the same
The nucleon (mass) number doesn’t change

A beta particle is emitted when a neutron turns into a proton, emitting an electron

 Equation for beta emission:

  Note that the beta particle is given an atomic number of -1 in the above examples
This is because the atomic number is being used to measure charge in this case:
Protons, being positive particles, have positive atomic numbers
Electrons, being negative, have a negative number

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