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Chapter 16: Problem 116

Past the "bismuth buoy," \(\beta\) radiation will not render a radioactive nucleus nonradioactive. Explain why.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Passing the "bismuth buoy," a radioactive nucleus remains radioactive after undergoing $\beta$ decay because the daughter nucleus produced is still unstable and further from the stable region of the chart of nuclides. Since $\beta$ decay only changes the balance of protons and neutrons without significantly lowering the overall energy of the system, the nucleus does not become stable. More massive elements beyond the bismuth buoy often require alpha decay to move closer to the stable region.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding beta decay

(Beta decay is a radioactive decay process, in which a beta particle, which is either an electron or a positron, is emitted from the nucleus. There are two types of beta decay: beta-minus decay and beta-plus decay. In beta-minus decay, a neutron in the nucleus converts into a proton and emits an electron, while in beta-plus decay, a proton converts into a neutron and emits a positron. The result of beta decay is a nucleus with a changed number of protons and neutrons.)
02

Understanding the Bismuth Buoy

(The "bismuth buoy" refers to the region on the chart of nuclides where bismuth-209, the heaviest stable isotope, is found. Isotopes in this region are said to be "beyond the bismuth buoy" because they have too many protons or too many neutrons to be stable. They continuously decay, trying to reach the more stable isotopes near the bismuth-209 region.)
03

Beta decay and the Bismuth Buoy

(When a nucleus undergoes beta decay, it changes the balance of protons and neutrons. However, if a nucleus lies beyond the bismuth buoy, both the parent and daughter nuclei are still unstable, and the decay process will continue. Alpha decay, the other main type of radioactive decay, would be necessary to move the nucleus closer to the stable region, but alpha decay is less likely to occur for heavy nuclei beyond the bismuth buoy due to their binding energy and structure.)
04

Answering the question

(Passing the "bismuth buoy," the radioactive nucleus remains radioactive even after undergoing beta decay because the daughter nucleus produced is still unstable and further from the stable region of the chart of nuclides. Since beta decay changes only the balance of protons and neutrons and not the overall structure of the nucleus, it isn't lowering the overall energy of the system enough for the nucleus to become stable. More massive elements beyond the bismuth buoy often need to undergo alpha decay to move closer to the stable region.)

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Of the types of radioactive decay studied in this chapter, which is least likely to damage you upon external exposure? Which is most likely? Explain fully.

What is meant by the term radioactive decay?

Which isotope in each pair is more likely to decay by electron capture? (a) \({ }^{13} \mathrm{~B}\) or \({ }^{8} \mathrm{~B}\) (b) \({ }^{209} \mathrm{Bi}\) or \({ }^{194} \mathrm{Bi}\)

If a radioactive element undergoes a single decay process and transforms into an element one step to the right in the periodic table, did a proton turn into a neutron or did a neutron turn into a proton? What do we call this type of decay?

What do we mean by the binding energy of an atom, and how does it compare to the energy that binds atoms to one another in a covalent bond?
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