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β-decay and its types

ABEER BASHARAT

1725107001

BS- III

SEMESTER VI

SESSION: 2017-2021

Maj/Chem-308

PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

SUBMITTED TO:

DR. FOZIA

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

LAHORE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN UNIVERSITY

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Table of Contents
Introduction: ...............................................................................................................1

Types of beta particle decay: ..................................................................................1

β- decay: ..............................................................................................................2

β+ decay: ..............................................................................................................3

Electron capture: .................................................................................................4

Difference between β+ emission and EC: ...........................................................5

References:...........................................................................................................7
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Beta Decay
Introduction:
Nuclear chemistry is related to the nuclear processes and radioactivity whether
spontaneous or not.

Protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, are packed together tightly in a
nucleus of an atom. With a radius of about 10 −15 meters, a nucleus is quite small as
compared to the radius of the entire atom. Here, these particles face some energy
based issues. To hold positively charged protons together in the very small volume
of a nucleus requires very strong attractive forces because the positively charged
protons repel one another at such short distances. This is common in heavy nuclei.
This is because larger nuclei have more proton-proton repulsions, and require larger
numbers of neutrons to provide compensating strong forces to overcome these
electrostatic repulsions and hold the nucleus together. These nuclear decay reactions
convert one unstable isotope (or radioisotope) into another, more stable, isotope.

Beta (β) decay is the emission of an electron from a nucleus.

Iodine-131 is an example of a nuclide that undergoes β decay.

131 0 131
53𝐼 → −1𝑒 +54 𝐼

Types of beta particle decay:

There are several decay processes that comes under this heading:

-
1. emission of electron from the nucleus or β decay

2. emission of positron from the nucleus or β+ decay

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3. electron capture by the nucleus

1. β- decay:
When a nucleus has an excess of neutrons or higher neutron to proton ratio than
required for stable nucleus in a particular
region, it will be unstable due to the
deficiency of protons. These nuclei lie
above the band of stability. Such a
nucleus will obtain stability by changing
its neutrons into electrons. Electrons do
not reside in the nucleus, rather these are
produced by neutron at the time of emission.

𝑛 → 𝑝 + 𝛽 − + ʋ− (antineutrino)

Emission of an electron does not change the mass number of the nuclide but does
increase the number of its protons and decrease the number of its neutrons.
Consequently, the n:p ratio is decreased, and the daughter nuclide lies closer to the
band of stability than did the parent nuclide.

General representation:
𝐴 𝐴
𝑍𝑋 → 𝑍+1𝑌 + 𝛽 − + ʋ− + 𝑄

The daughter nuclei thus formed is shifted one place to the right in periodic table.
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Energy changes:

Here Q represents energy released during emission. This energy is shared between
the electron emitted and antineutrino and they carry away part of energy. β particles
may have energy between zero and certain value.

Beta minus decays are common all over the entire range of nuclides and amongst the
naturally occurring heavy radioactive nuclides and in fission products. Some
common examples are as follows:
228 228
88𝑅𝑎 → 89𝐴𝑐 + 𝛽−
234 234
90𝑇ℎ → 91𝑃𝑎 + 𝛽−
14 14
6𝐶 → 7𝑁 + 𝛽−
24 24
11𝑁𝑎 → 12𝑀𝑔 + 𝛽−

2. β+ decay:
Positron is an anti-matter counterpart of electron. It has same mass as of electron but
it has opposite charge(positive).

When a nucleus has more proton than permitted by neutrons/proton ratio for stable
nuclide, in certain region it will be unstable. Such a nucleus will achieve stability by
converting its protons into neutrons

In this process a proton from nucleus is decayed at the time of emission and a neutron
and a positron is emitted.

𝑃 → 𝑛 + 𝛽 + + ʋ(𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑜)
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In positron emission, the atomic number Z decreases by 1 and increases in the

number of neutron by one while the mass number A remains the same.
𝑋 𝐴
𝑍𝑋 → 𝑍−1𝑌 + 𝛽+ + ʋ + 𝑄

Here the energy Q is distributed between the emitted particles i.e. positron and
neutrino.

Some examples of positron emission are:

38 38
19𝐾 → 18𝐴𝑟 + 𝛽+
15 15
8𝑂 → 7𝑁 + 𝛽+
22 22
11𝑁𝑎 → 10𝑁𝑒 + 𝛽+
45 45
22𝑇𝑖 → 21𝑆𝑐 + 𝛽+

3. Electron capture:
The nuclei which have deficiency
of neutrons or they have low
neutron/proton ratio either decays
by β+ emission or electron
capture.

The captured electron comes from

one of the inner orbitals of the
atom. Depending on the electron
shell from which the electron is captured, the process is sometimes referred to as K-
capture, L-capture, etc. The probability for the capture of an electron from the K-
shell is several times greater than that for the capture of an electron from the L-shell,
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since the wave function of K-electrons is substantially larger at the nucleus than that
of L-electrons.

The electron capture can be represented as:

𝑃 + 𝑒 − → 𝑛 + ʋ(𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑜)

In electron capture decay, the charge number of the decaying nucleus is reduced by
one, its mass number remains the same. One proton is changed into one neutron in
the nucleus.
𝐴 𝐴
𝑍𝑋 + 𝑒− → 𝑍−1𝑌 + ʋ(𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑜)

Difference between β+ emission and EC:

Both positron decay and electro capture proceed
in competition. Both of these processes results in
decrease of charge number of decaying nucleus
by one and shifting the daughter nucleus one
place to the left in the periodic table. The
difference lies in the fact that in electron capture,
electron from one of the outer shells of atom is
used to convert the proton into neutron. Then the
electron hole of the shell from which the electron
is captured, is filled by the electrons of any
higher shells. This rearrangements of outer electrons causes emission of X-rays.
This emission of X-rays is characteristics property of daughter nucleus.
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Energy changes:
Both EC and β+ decay usually occurs in the same nucleus. In some cases, where
sufficient energy (1.022 MeV) is not available for the creation of β+ particles, EC is
the only process of decay. Decay by electron capture occurs as an alternative to all
β+ decay.

Examples of EC are given below:

55 55
26𝐹𝑒 + 𝑒− → 25𝑀𝑛 + ʋ
106 106
47𝐴𝑔 + 𝑒− → 46𝐴𝑔 + ʋ
37 37
18𝐴𝑟 + 𝑒− → 17𝐶𝑙 + ʋ

Some nuclides undergo both EC and positron emission.

22 22
11𝑁𝑎 + 𝑒− → 10𝑁𝑒 (3%)

22 22
11𝑁𝑎 → 10𝑁𝑒 + 𝛽 + (97%)
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References:
 https://opentextbc.ca/chemistry/chapter/21-3-radioactive-decay/
 https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/Oregon_Institute_of_Technology/OIT%3A_CHE_201_-
_General_Chemistry_I_(Anthony_and_Clark)/Unit_3%3A_Nuclei%2C_Ions%2C_and_Molecule
s/3.1%3A_Nuclear_Chemistry_and_Radioactive_Decay
 http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Nuclear/radact2.html
 Bhatti, H. N. ; Rehman, R. Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, ;Caravan Publishers,2017.
 Choppin, G.; Liljenzin, J. O.; Rydberg, J. Radiochemistry and Nuclear Chemistry, 3rd ed.; B.H.
Publishers,2002.