Radium-226 undergoes alpha decay. What will be the products of this nuclear reaction? Explain.
In alpha decay, an unstable nucleus emits an alpha particle, which consists of two protons and two neutrons, and results in the formation of a new nucleus.
When Radium-226 undergoes alpha decay, it loses two protons and two neutrons, in the form of an alpha particle. The new nucleus will have:
- Atomic number (Z) = Original atomic number - 2
- Mass number (A) = Original mass number - 4
Radium has an atomic number of 88, so the new nucleus will have an atomic number of 88 - 2 = 86. The new element with atomic number 86 is Radon (Rn).
Radium-226 has a massnumber of 226, so the new nucleus will have a mass number of 226 - 4 = 222. The new isotope will be Radon-222 (Rn-222).
So, the products of this nuclear reaction will be an alpha particle (He-4) and a Radon-222 nucleus (Rn-222).
The overall equation for this process can be written as:
Ra-226 → Rn-222 + α (He-4)