Physics: Principles with Applications (7th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0-32162-592-7
ISBN 13: 978-0-32162-592-2

Chapter 30 - Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity - Questions - Page 880: 24

Answer

There are four alpha particles and four beta particles (electrons) emitted. The decay path doesn’t matter.

Work Step by Step

The nucleon (mass) number drops by 16, from 222 to 206, which means that four $\alpha$ decays took place. The atomic number changed by 4, from Z = 86 to Z = 82. The four alpha decays account for a decrease of eight protons, so 4 $\beta^{-}$ decays must have taken place, converting four neutrons into protons. This decay chain may be traced out in Figure 30–11.
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