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Thorium is an element that occurs naturally in the earth's crust. The only naturally occurring isotope of thorium is 232Th and it is unstable and radioactive. The first step in the Thorium decay chain is the emission of an alpha particle. Which of these nuclei emerges from the decay?
A) 22888Ra
B) 23086Rn
C) 23289Ac
D) 23892U

Respuesta :

chemgeek

A, radium-228. Alpha radiation is essentially just two protons and two neutrons leaving the atom, causing the atomic number to drop by two (since the protons left) and the mass number to drop by four (since two neutrons and protons left).

dsdrajlin

The first step in the [tex]^{232} _{90}Th[/tex] decay chain is the emission of an alpha particle. The nuclei that emerge from the decay are [tex]^{228} _{88}Ra[/tex].

What is an alpha particle?

Alpha particles, also called alpha rays or alpha radiation, consist of two protons and two neutrons bound together into a particle identical to a helium-4 nucleus.

[tex]^{232} _{90}Th[/tex] has:

  • An atomic number of 90 (90 protons).
  • A mass number of 232 (232 protons and neutrons).

When [tex]^{232} _{90}Th[/tex] emits an alpha particle:

  • The atomic number decreases by 2 (90 to 88).
  • The mass number decreases by 4. (232 to 228).

Thus, the nuclei that emerge from the decay are [tex]^{228} _{88}Ra[/tex].

The first step in the [tex]^{232} _{90}Th[/tex] decay chain is the emission of an alpha particle. The nuclei that emerge from the decay are [tex]^{228} _{88}Ra[/tex].

Learn more about alpha particles here: https://brainly.com/question/12448778

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