Successive decays

Decay constant Measure of the probabihty of the decay of radioactive atoms [s ] Decay series Sequence of successive decay processes Disintegration Synonym of (radioactive) decay Disintegration rate Disintegrations per unit time [s ]... 

Branchings are possible at various points in the chain. That is, two successive decays may be replaced by alternative decays, but they always result in the same final product. There are also decay series of varying lengths starting with some of the artificially produced radionuclides (Section 26-13). 

In a successive decay, a parent radionuclide p decays to a daughter nuclide d, and d in turn decays to another nuclide c, and we are interested in the decay rate of d over time. Thus,... 

FIG. 4.11. Case of radioactive equilibrium successive decay chain 30 y)... 

The general solution to the case with many successive decays is usually referred to as the Bateman equations (H. Bateman 1910) ... 

It is often not necessary to bother with the general solution of the successive decay problem, because after some time the whole series can be analyzed stepwise, comparing the decay... 

What if a nuclide were to undergo two successive decays such that it became the original nuclide Which decays could account for this Provide an example. 

In natural sources, all elements with an atomic number greater than 83 are radioactive, but most elements are present in very small concentrations. These radionuclides belong to chains of successive decay, and all of the species in one such chain constitute a radioactive family series. Three of these families include all of the natural activities in this region of the periodic chart [1]. The existence of branching decays in each of the three series should be noted. These representations only recognize the most common decomposition elements, but new decomposition branches have been discovered. 

Rutherford showed that uranium and thorium atoms undergo a series of successive decays and coined the term half-life to describe the time required for half a sample of a radioactive substance to decay. For this work, Rutherford was awarded the 1908 Nobel Prize in chemistry. 

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