Radioactive Decay

Radioactive Decay

• Radioactive decay is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation in the form of particles or electromagnetic waves.
• This process results in the transformation of the original (parent) isotope into a different (daughter) isotope or element.

Types of Radioactive Decay

• Alpha Decay: Emits an alpha particle, consisting of 2 protons and 2 neutrons, decreasing the atomic number by 2 and the mass number by 4.
• Beta Decay: A neutron in the nucleus is transformed into a proton, emitting a beta particle and an antineutrino or neutrino, increasing the atomic number by 1 without changing the mass number.
• Gamma Decay: Releases gamma rays, high-energy photons, reducing the energy of the nucleus without changing atomic or mass numbers.
• Electron Capture: An inner orbital electron is captured by the nucleus, combining with a proton to form a neutron and a neutrino, decreasing the atomic number by 1.

Key Aspects of Radioactive Decay

• Half-Life: The time it takes for half of the atoms in a sample to decay, which is a characteristic of each radioactive isotope and can range from fractions of a second to billions of years.
• Half-Life is used to determine the age of materials in radiometric dating, for example, carbon-14 has a half-life of about 5,730 years.
• Decay Chains: A series of decays where radioactive isotopes decay into other radioactive isotopes, continuing until a stable, non-radioactive isotope is formed, for example, uranium-238 decays into stable lead-206.