What is the decay series of thorium-232?

What is the decay series of thorium-232?

Thorium-232 has a half-life of 14 billion years and mainly decays by alpha decay to radium-228 with a decay energy of 4.0816 MeV. The decay chain follows the thorium series, which terminates at stable lead-208.

What are the decay products of thorium?

Thorium- 228 is a decay product of radium-228, and thorium-228 decays into radium-224. The radiation from the decay of thorium and its decay products is in the form of alpha and beta particles and gamma radiation. Alpha particles can travel only short distances and cannot penetrate human skin.

What is the beta decay of thorium?

In this beta decay, a thorium-234 nucleus has one more proton than the original nucleus. In this beta decay, a thorium-234 nucleus has become a protactinium-234 nucleus.

When PA 232 turns into AC 228 what type of decay is present?

Thorium-232 (232Th) is present in significant amounts in the Earth’s crust and is an alpha-emitting radionuclide, which decays to radium-228 (228Ra), which is a beta emitter with a half-life of about six years; it emits no significant gamma radiation.

How is thorium-232 produced?

Uranium-238 and thorium-232 (and some other fissionable materials) cannot maintain a self-sustaining fission explosion, but these isotopes can be made to fission by an externally maintained supply of fast neutrons from fission or fusion reactions.

Where is thorium-232 found?

Thorium-232 is a naturally occurring radionuclide that is found in the earth’s crust.

What is thorium-230 used for?

The isotope thorium-230, a decay product of uranium-238, is found in uranium deposits as well as in uranium mill tailings. addition, thorium is used in welding rods and electric bulb filaments to improve product performance. Thorium can also be used as a fuel in nuclear reactors.

What is the beta decay of thorium-234?

Answer and Explanation: Thorium-234 undergoes beta decay to give protactinium -234. This decay is also known as beta-minus decay since an electron is released along with energy.

What is the decay reaction of thorium 234?

When thorium-234 decays, it releases negatively charged radiation called beta particles. A beta particle is an electron emitted by an unstable nucleus. The symbol for a beta particle is 0e.

Is the 232 fissile?

Thorium (Th-232) is not itself fissile and so is not directly usable in a thermal neutron reactor.

What is the decay energy of 232 thorium?

It has a decay energy of 0.39 MeV. It has a mass of 231.0363043 grams/mole. 232Th is the only primordial nuclide of thorium and makes up effectively all of natural thorium, with other isotopes of thorium appearing only in trace amounts as relatively short-lived decay products of uranium and thorium.

What is the decay product of 232 Th?

The decay products of 232 Th include more dangerous radionuclides such as radium and radon.

What is thorium 232 Th used for?

232 Th is a fertile material able to absorb a neutron and undergo transmutation into the fissile nuclide uranium-233, which is the basis of the thorium fuel cycle. In the form of Thorotrast, a thorium dioxide suspension, it was used as a contrast medium in early X-ray diagnostics. Thorium-232 is now classified as carcinogenic.

What is the ratio of thorium to uranium in the decay chain?

If the source contains no uranium, the only other thorium isotope present would be 228Th, which occurs in the decay chain of 232Th (the thorium series ): the ratio of 228Th to 232Th would be under 10−10.