List three of the more important reasons or trends explaining why some atoms are radioactive and others are not. i) ____________________________________________________________________________ ii) ___________________________________________________________________________ iii) ___________________________________________________________________________
List three of the more important reasons or trends explaining why some atoms are radioactive and others are not.
- i) ____________________________________________________________________________
- ii) ___________________________________________________________________________
iii) ___________________________________________________________________________
1. The unstable ratio of protons to neutrons
In small atoms, the ratio of protons to neutrons is 1:1, they form the stable ratio.
for eg. Carbon 12 has 1:1 ration with 6 protons and 6 neutrons
Carbon 14 has a 1:1.33 ratio, with 6 protons to 8 neutrons, which is an unstable ratio. So Carbon 14 isotope is radioactive with half-life of approx 5700 years.
2. Unbalanced forces in the nucleus
Elements with atomic numbers more than 83 have unstable nuclei and are radioactive. Here binding energy is not strong enough to hold protons and neutrons together, so they undergo radioactive decay releasing nucleons (protons or neutrons) and a large amount of energy.
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