Alpha & Beta Decay 2.1.4 Flashcards
how can nuclei become more stable
through radioactive decay
why does alpha decay occur
because the nuclei have too many nucleons (too large and heavy)
what is emitted in alpha decay
a positive alpha particle (2 protons and 2 neutrons)
how is an alpha particle represented
a helium nucleus 4He2
what is the charge of an alpha particle
2+
what happens during alpha decay
a parent nucleus becomes a daughter nucleus by emitting an alpha particle (helium nucleus)
what is a beta minus particle
a high energy electron emitted from the nucleus
why does beta decay occur
when there are too many or to few neutrons
what is Beta minus decay
when a neutron turns into a proton emitting an electron and an anti-electron neutrino
what happens when a B- particle is emitted from a nucleus
-the number of protons increases by 1: proton number increases by 1
-the total number of nucleons stays the same: nucleon number remains the same
what is a beta plus particle
a high energy positron emitted from the nucleus
what happens in B+ decay
a proton turns into a neutron emitting a positron (anti-electron) and an electron neutrino
what happens when a B+ particle is emitted from a nucleus
-the number of protons decreases by 1: proton number decreases by 1
-the total number of nucleons stays the same: nucleon number remains the same
what is a gamma ray and what does this mean
a gamma ray is pure electromagnetic radiation
–> the emission of a gamma ray does not cause the atomic number or the mass number of the nucleus to change
