nucleus of oxygen-15 undergoes electron capture. Write out the reaction equation and determine the identity of the daughter nucleus
To write the reaction equation for the electron capture of the nucleus of oxygen-15 and determine the identity of the daughter nucleus, we need to understand the process of electron capture.
Electron capture occurs when the nucleus of an atom captures an electron from its own electron cloud. In this process, a proton in the nucleus combines with an electron to form a neutron. As a result, the atomic number decreases by one while the mass number remains the same.
The reaction equation for the electron capture of oxygen-15 can be written as follows:
^15O + e⁻ → ^15N
In this equation, ^15O represents the oxygen-15 nucleus, e⁻ represents the captured electron, and ^15N represents the daughter nucleus, nitrogen-15. Note that the mass number remains the same (15), while the atomic number decreases from 8 (oxygen) to 7 (nitrogen).
Therefore, the identity of the daughter nucleus formed after the electron capture of oxygen-15 is nitrogen-15.