Beta emission accompanying

There are six nuclides whose decay is accompanied by significant beta emissions these are ... 

Explain why gamma rays often accompany alpha emission, beta emission, positron emission, and electron capture. 

Cm. The isotope Cm is an alpha emitter with a half-life of 32 years. About 03 percent of its decays occur by beta emission, and the accompanying gammas contribute to shielding problems when Cm heat sources are contaminated with Cm. 

The long half-life of iodine-129, 15.7 million years, means that it remains in the environment. However, iodine-131 s short half-life of 8 days means that it will decay away completely in the environment in a matter of months. Both decay with the emission of a beta particle, accompanied by weak gamma radiation. 

Radioactivity—Spontaneous nuclear transformations that result in the formation of new elements. These transformations are accomplished by emission of alpha or beta particles from the nucleus or by the capture of an orbital electron. Each of these reactions may or may not be accompanied by a gamma photon. 

The numerical combination of protons and neutrons in most nuclides is such that the nucleus is quantum mechanically stable and the atom is said to be stable, i.e., not radioactive however, if there are too few or too many neutrons, the nucleus is unstable and the atom is said to be radioactive. Unstable nuclides undergo radioactive transformation, a process in which a neutron or proton converts into the other and a beta particle is emitted, or else an alpha particle is emitted. Each type of decay is typically accompanied by the emission of gamma rays. These unstable atoms are called radionuclides their emissions are called ionizing radiation and the whole property is called radioactivity. Transformation or decay results in the formation of new nuclides some of which may themselves be radionuclides, while others are stable nuclides. This series of transformations is called the decay chain of the radionuclide. The first radionuclide in the chain is called the parent the subsequent products of the transformation are called progeny, daughters, or decay products. 

EXAMPLE 22.7. When a 2 1 nucleus disintegrates, the following series of alpha and bela particles is emitted alpha, beta, beta, alpha, alpha, alpha, alpha, alpha, beta, alpha, beta, beta, beta, alpha. (Since emission of gamma particles accompanies practically every disintegration and since gamma particles do not change the atomic number or mass number of an isotope, they are not listed.) Show that each isotope produced has a mass number that differs from 238 by some multiple of 4. 

Again, both mass and charge are conserved. Gamma emission often accompanies both alpha and beta decay, but because gamma emission does not change the parent element it is often emitted when writing nuclear reactions. 

Radioactivity is the spontaneous emission of radiation from an unstable nucleus. Alpha (a) radiation consists of helium nuclei, small particles containing two protons and two neutrons (fHe). Beta (p) radiation consists of electrons ( e), and gamma (y) radiation consists of high-energy photons that have no mass. Positron emission is the conversion of a proton in the nucleus into a neutron plus an ejected positron, e or /3+, a particle that has the same mass as an electron but an opposite charge. Electron capture is the capture of an inner-shell electron by a proton in the nucleus. The process is accompanied by the emission of y rays and results in the conversion of a proton in the nucleus into a neutron. Every element in the periodic table has at least one radioactive isotope, or radioisotope. Radioactive decay is characterized kinetically by a first-order decay constant and by a half-life, h/2, the time required for the... 

The fifth type of radioactive emission, gamma radiation, does not result in a change in the properties of the atoms. As a result, they are usually omitted from nuclear equations. Gamma emissions often accompany other alpha or beta reactions—any decay that has an excess of energy that is released. For example, when a positron collides with an electron, two gamma rays are emitted, a phenomenon usually referred to as annihilation radiation. 

Notice that the total of the atomic masses and the total of the atomic numbers on each side of the nuclear equation balance. What is happening, however to the hydrogen-3 nucleus as this change occurs In effect, the emission of a beta particle is accompanied by the conversion, inside the nucleus, of a neutron into a proton ... 

How is gamma radiation produced in a radioactive decay When a radioactive nucleus emits an alpha or beta particle, the nucleus is often left in an unstable, high-energy state. The relaxation of the nucleus to a more stable state is accompanied by the emission of gamma radiation. 

Q mil Alpha or beta particle emission from a radioactive nucleus is often, but not always, accompanied by gamma rays. Why does the presence of gamma rays not affect how a nuclear equation of this type is balanced ... 

Neutrinos also accompany negative beta particles and positron emissions. 

---