What is produced when mercury 201 undergoes electron capture?

What is produced when mercury 201 undergoes electron capture?

Write nuclear equations for the following processes: (a) Mercury-201 undergoes electron capture; (b) thorium-231 decays to form protactinium-231. Because the mass numbers must have the same sum on both sides of the equation, 201 + 0 = A.

What is meant by electron capture?

Electron capture is the radioactive decay process by which an atom’s inner orbital electron is absorbed within the nucleus followed by conversion of a proton to a neutron and emission of a neutrino (ve) 1.

What happens when an element undergoes electron capture?

Electron capture is one process that unstable atoms can use to become more stable. During electron capture, an electron in an atom’s inner shell is drawn into the nucleus where it combines with a proton, forming a neutron and a neutrino. The neutrino is ejected from the atom’s nucleus.

What causes electron capture?

Electron capture occurs when an inner-orbital electron (negatively charged) is captured by the nucleus (positively charged). The result is that a proton will combine with this electron and a neutron is formed. This process will reduce the atomic number by one and not changed the atom’s mass.

What would happen if radium 226 undergoes alpha decay?

Answer and Explanation: Radon is produced when radium-226 undergoes alpha decay.

How does a proton capture an electron?

What type of radiation is electron capture?

Electron capture is a type of radioactive decay where the nucleus of an atom absorbs a K or L shell electron and converts a proton into a neutron. This process reduces the atomic number by 1 and emits gamma radiation or an x-ray and a neutrino.

How do you capture electron?

Electron Capture An outside electron is pulled inside the nucleus and combined with a proton to make a neutron, emitting only a neutrino. When the loss of mass in a nuclear reaction is greater than zero, but less than 2m[0-1e-], the process cannot occur by positron emission and is spontaneous for electron capture.

How many neutrons does Mercury 201 have?

We see that for mercury the atomic number is 80. The atomic number is the number of protons in an atom’s nucleus, so we can tell right away that an atom of mercury contains 80 protons. The mass number (201) is the total number of protons and neutrons. So, there must be 201 – 80 = 121 neutrons.

Is electron capture fusion?

Electron capture is not a strong force reaction like fusion however. It is a weak force reaction. A little digression about forces.

Is electron capture exothermic?

Electron capture for almost all nonnoble gas atoms involves the release of energy and thus are exothermic reactions.