Producing and Balancing Nuclear Equations for Radioactive Decay
Producing and Balancing Nuclear Equations for Radioactive Decay
- Radioactive decay occurs when an unstable nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation in the form of alpha, beta, or gamma emissions.
- Understanding the concept of nuclear equations is vital for portraying these processes.
- A nuclear equation represents a radioactive decay by showing the radioactive isotope, the radiation emitted and the isotopes produced.
Writing Nuclear Equations
- Each nucleus in a radioactive decay can be represented with a symbol where the upper number is the mass number (A) and the lower is the atomic number (Z).
- The symbols on either side of the arrow in the equation must balance; mass numbers and atomic numbers are conserved.
- For example: The alpha decay of Radium-226 can be represented as
_88^226Ra → _86^222Rn + _2^4He.
Balancing Nuclear Equations
- Balancing nuclear equations involves identifying the unknown isotope or particle.
- If you know the radioactive isotope and the emission, you can find the resulting isotope.
- If you know the radioactive isotope and resulting isotope, you can find the nature of the emission.
- You can balance a nuclear equation by making sure the sums of the atomic numbers and mass numbers on each side of the equation are equal.
Key Points to Remember
- Alpha particles are helium nuclei. They cause a decrease in atomic number by 2 and mass number by 4.
- Beta particles are high energy electrons. They cause an increase in atomic number by 1, without changing the mass number.
- Gamma radiation, which is electromagnetic radiation, does not affect the atomic or mass numbers.