4.2.4 - Alpha Decay
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12 Terms
What happens during alpha decay ?
An alpha particles is emitted from an unstable nucleus
What is formed in the process ?
A completely new element
What is an alpha particle ?
It is a helium nucleus as it is made of 2 protons and 2 neutrons
What happens when the alpha particles is emitted from the unstable nucleus ?
The mass number and atomic number of the nucleus changes
What happens to the mass number ?
It decreases by 4
What happens to the atomic number ?
It decreases by 2
What happens to the charge on the nucleus ?
It decreases by 2
Why does the charge of the nucleus decrease ?
This is because protons have a charge of +1 each
How can the process of alpha decay be shown ?
It can be shown as a decay equation
What is a decay equation ?
It is similar to a chemical reaction equation
The particles present before the decay are shown before the arrow
The particles produced in the decay are show after the arrow
What happens during decay equations ?
The sum of the mass and atomic numbers before the reaction must be the same as the sum of the mass and atomic number after the reaction
Alpha decay equation
