Decay chain, the Glossary
In nuclear science, the decay chain refers to a series of radioactive decays of different radioactive decay products as a sequential series of transformations.[1]
Table of Contents
104 relations: Actinium, Actinium-225, Alpha decay, Alpha particle, Americium-241, Astatine, Atomic mass, Atomic number, Auger effect, Bateman equation, Beta decay, Big Bang, Bismuth, Bismuth-209, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Californium, Cosmic ray, Dalton (unit), Decay energy, Decay product, Depleted uranium, Electron, Electron capture, Exponential decay, Formation and evolution of the Solar System, Francium, Gamma ray, Half-life, Helium-4, Inverse beta decay, Isotope, Isotopes of actinium, Isotopes of americium, Isotopes of astatine, Isotopes of bismuth, Isotopes of californium, Isotopes of chlorine, Isotopes of curium, Isotopes of fermium, Isotopes of francium, Isotopes of lead, Isotopes of magnesium, Isotopes of mendelevium, Isotopes of mercury, Isotopes of neptunium, Isotopes of nihonium, Isotopes of plutonium, Isotopes of polonium, Isotopes of protactinium, Isotopes of radium, ... Expand index (54 more) »
Actinium
Actinium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ac and atomic number 89.
Actinium-225
Actinium-225 (225Ac, Ac-225) is an isotope of actinium.
See Decay chain and Actinium-225
Alpha decay
Alpha decay or α-decay is a type of radioactive decay in which an atomic nucleus emits an alpha particle (helium nucleus) and thereby transforms or "decays" into a different atomic nucleus, with a mass number that is reduced by four and an atomic number that is reduced by two. Decay chain and alpha decay are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Alpha decay
Alpha particle
Alpha particles, also called alpha rays or alpha radiation, consist of two protons and two neutrons bound together into a particle identical to a helium-4 nucleus. Decay chain and alpha particle are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Alpha particle
Americium-241
Americium-241 (Am-241) is an isotope of americium.
See Decay chain and Americium-241
Astatine
Astatine is a chemical element; it has symbol At and atomic number 85.
Atomic mass
The atomic mass (ma or m) is the mass of an atom.
See Decay chain and Atomic mass
Atomic number
The atomic number or nuclear charge number (symbol Z) of a chemical element is the charge number of an atomic nucleus.
See Decay chain and Atomic number
Auger effect
The Auger effect or Auger−Meitner effect is a physical phenomenon in which the filling of an inner-shell vacancy of an atom is accompanied by the emission of an electron from the same atom.
See Decay chain and Auger effect
Bateman equation
In nuclear physics, the Bateman equation is a mathematical model describing abundances and activities in a decay chain as a function of time, based on the decay rates and initial abundances. Decay chain and Bateman equation are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Bateman equation
Beta decay
In nuclear physics, beta decay (β-decay) is a type of radioactive decay in which an atomic nucleus emits a beta particle (fast energetic electron or positron), transforming into an isobar of that nuclide. Decay chain and beta decay are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Beta decay
Big Bang
The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature.
Bismuth
Bismuth is a chemical element; it has symbol Bi and atomic number 83.
Bismuth-209
Bismuth-209 (Bi) is an isotope of bismuth, with the longest known half-life of any radioisotope that undergoes α-decay (alpha decay).
See Decay chain and Bismuth-209
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Upton, Long Island, a hamlet of the Town of Brookhaven.
See Decay chain and Brookhaven National Laboratory
Californium
Californium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Cf and atomic number 98.
See Decay chain and Californium
Cosmic ray
Cosmic rays or astroparticles are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light.
See Decay chain and Cosmic ray
Dalton (unit)
The dalton or unified atomic mass unit (symbols: Da or u) is a non-SI unit of mass defined as of the mass of an unbound neutral atom of carbon-12 in its nuclear and electronic ground state and at rest.
See Decay chain and Dalton (unit)
Decay energy
The decay energy is the energy change of a nucleus having undergone a radioactive decay.
See Decay chain and Decay energy
Decay product
In nuclear physics, a decay product (also known as a daughter product, daughter isotope, radio-daughter, or daughter nuclide) is the remaining nuclide left over from radioactive decay.
See Decay chain and Decay product
Depleted uranium
Depleted uranium (DU; also referred to in the past as Q-metal, depletalloy or D-38) is uranium with a lower content of the fissile isotope 235U than natural uranium.
See Decay chain and Depleted uranium
Electron
The electron (or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge.
Electron capture
Electron capture (K-electron capture, also K-capture, or L-electron capture, L-capture) is a process in which the proton-rich nucleus of an electrically neutral atom absorbs an inner atomic electron, usually from the K or L electron shells. Decay chain and electron capture are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Electron capture
Exponential decay
A quantity is subject to exponential decay if it decreases at a rate proportional to its current value.
See Decay chain and Exponential decay
Formation and evolution of the Solar System
There is evidence that the formation of the Solar System began about 4.6 billion years ago with the gravitational collapse of a small part of a giant molecular cloud.
See Decay chain and Formation and evolution of the Solar System
Francium
Francium is a chemical element; it has symbol Fr and atomic number 87.
Gamma ray
A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. Decay chain and gamma ray are radioactivity.
Half-life
Half-life (symbol) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. Decay chain and half-life are radioactivity.
Helium-4
Helium-4 is a stable isotope of the element helium.
Inverse beta decay
In nuclear and particle physics, inverse beta decay, commonly abbreviated to IBD, is a nuclear reaction involving an electron antineutrino scattering off a proton, creating a positron and a neutron. Decay chain and inverse beta decay are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Inverse beta decay
Isotope
Isotopes are distinct nuclear species (or nuclides) of the same chemical element.
Isotopes of actinium
Actinium (89Ac) has no stable isotopes and no characteristic terrestrial isotopic composition, thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of actinium
Isotopes of americium
Americium (95Am) is an artificial element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of americium
Isotopes of astatine
Astatine (85At) has 41 known isotopes, all of which are radioactive; their mass numbers range from 188 to 229 (though 189At is undiscovered).
See Decay chain and Isotopes of astatine
Isotopes of bismuth
Bismuth (83Bi) has 41 known isotopes, ranging from 184Bi to 224Bi.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of bismuth
Isotopes of californium
Californium (Cf) is an artificial element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of californium
Isotopes of chlorine
Chlorine (17Cl) has 25 isotopes, ranging from 28Cl to 52Cl, and two isomers, 34mCl and 38mCl.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of chlorine
Isotopes of curium
Curium (96Cm) is an artificial element with an atomic number of 96.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of curium
Isotopes of fermium
Fermium (100Fm) is a synthetic element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of fermium
Isotopes of francium
Francium (87Fr) has no stable isotopes.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of francium
Isotopes of lead
Lead (82Pb) has four observationally stable isotopes: 204Pb, 206Pb, 207Pb, 208Pb.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of lead
Isotopes of magnesium
Magnesium (12Mg) naturally occurs in three stable isotopes:,, and.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of magnesium
Isotopes of mendelevium
Mendelevium (101Md) is a synthetic element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of mendelevium
Isotopes of mercury
There are seven stable isotopes of mercury (80Hg) with 202Hg being the most abundant (29.86%).
See Decay chain and Isotopes of mercury
Isotopes of neptunium
Neptunium (93Np) is usually considered an artificial element, although trace quantities are found in nature, so a standard atomic weight cannot be given.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of neptunium
Isotopes of nihonium
Nihonium (113Nh) is a synthetic element.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of nihonium
Isotopes of plutonium
Plutonium (Pu) is an artificial element, except for trace quantities resulting from neutron capture by uranium, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of plutonium
Isotopes of polonium
There are 42 isotopes of polonium (84Po).
See Decay chain and Isotopes of polonium
Isotopes of protactinium
Protactinium (91Pa) has no stable isotopes.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of protactinium
Isotopes of radium
Radium (88Ra) has no stable or nearly stable isotopes, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of radium
Isotopes of radon
There are 39 known isotopes of radon (86Rn), from 193Rn to 231Rn; all are radioactive.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of radon
Isotopes of thallium
Thallium (81Tl) has 41 isotopes with atomic masses that range from 176 to 216.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of thallium
Isotopes of thorium
Thorium (90Th) has seven naturally occurring isotopes but none are stable.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of thorium
Isotopes of uranium
Uranium (U) is a naturally occurring radioactive element that has no stable isotope.
See Decay chain and Isotopes of uranium
Lead
Lead is a chemical element; it has symbol Pb (from Latin plumbum) and atomic number 82.
Modular arithmetic
In mathematics, modular arithmetic is a system of arithmetic for integers, where numbers "wrap around" when reaching a certain value, called the modulus.
See Decay chain and Modular arithmetic
National Nuclear Data Center
The National Nuclear Data Center is an organization based in the Brookhaven National Laboratory that acts as a repository for data regarding nuclear chemistry, such as nuclear structure, decay, and reaction data, as well as historical information regarding previous experiments and literature.
See Decay chain and National Nuclear Data Center
Natural nuclear fission reactor
A natural nuclear fission reactor is a uranium deposit where self-sustaining nuclear chain reactions occur.
See Decay chain and Natural nuclear fission reactor
Nature (journal)
Nature is a British weekly scientific journal founded and based in London, England.
See Decay chain and Nature (journal)
Neptunium
Neptunium is a chemical element; it has symbol Np and atomic number 93.
Nuclear fission product
Nuclear fission products are the atomic fragments left after a large atomic nucleus undergoes nuclear fission.
See Decay chain and Nuclear fission product
Nuclear isomer
A nuclear isomer is a metastable state of an atomic nucleus, in which one or more nucleons (protons or neutrons) occupy excited state (higher energy) levels.
See Decay chain and Nuclear isomer
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter.
See Decay chain and Nuclear physics
Plutonium-239
Plutonium-239 (239Pu or Pu-239) is an isotope of plutonium.
See Decay chain and Plutonium-239
Plutonium-240
Plutonium-240 (or Pu-240) is an isotope of plutonium formed when plutonium-239 captures a neutron.
See Decay chain and Plutonium-240
Plutonium-241
Plutonium-241 (241Pu or Pu-241) is an isotope of plutonium formed when plutonium-240 captures a neutron.
See Decay chain and Plutonium-241
Plutonium-242
Plutonium-242 (242Pu or Pu-242) is one of the isotopes of plutonium, the second longest-lived, with a half-life of 375,000 years.
See Decay chain and Plutonium-242
Plutonium-244
Plutonium-244 (244Pu) is an isotope of plutonium that has a half-life of 80 million years.
See Decay chain and Plutonium-244
Poisson point process
In probability theory, statistics and related fields, a Poisson point process is a type of random mathematical object that consists of points randomly located on a mathematical space with the essential feature that the points occur independently of one another.
See Decay chain and Poisson point process
Polonium
Polonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Po and atomic number 84.
Polonium-210
Polonium-210 (210Po, Po-210, historically radium F) is an isotope of polonium.
See Decay chain and Polonium-210
Positron
The positron or antielectron is the particle with an electric charge of +1e, a spin of 1/2 (the same as the electron), and the same mass as an electron.
Positron emission
Positron emission, beta plus decay, or β+ decay is a subtype of radioactive decay called beta decay, in which a proton inside a radionuclide nucleus is converted into a neutron while releasing a positron and an electron neutrino. Decay chain and positron emission are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Positron emission
Primordial nuclide
In geochemistry, geophysics and nuclear physics, primordial nuclides, also known as primordial isotopes, are nuclides found on Earth that have existed in their current form since before Earth was formed.
See Decay chain and Primordial nuclide
Protactinium
Protactinium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pa and atomic number 91.
See Decay chain and Protactinium
R-process
In nuclear astrophysics, the rapid neutron-capture process, also known as the r-process, is a set of nuclear reactions that is responsible for the creation of approximately half of the atomic nuclei heavier than iron, the "heavy elements", with the other half produced by the p-process and ''s''-process.
Radioactive decay
Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. Decay chain and radioactive decay are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Radioactive decay
Radiometric dating
Radiometric dating, radioactive dating or radioisotope dating is a technique which is used to date materials such as rocks or carbon, in which trace radioactive impurities were selectively incorporated when they were formed. Decay chain and Radiometric dating are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Radiometric dating
Radionuclide
A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess numbers of either neutrons or protons, giving it excess nuclear energy, and making it unstable. Decay chain and radionuclide are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Radionuclide
Radium
Radium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ra and atomic number 88.
Radium-223
Radium-223 (223Ra, Ra-223) is an isotope of radium with an 11.4-day half-life.
See Decay chain and Radium-223
Radium-226
Radium-226 is the longest-lived isotope of radium, with a half-life of 1600 years.
See Decay chain and Radium-226
Radon
Radon is a chemical element; it has symbol Rn and atomic number 86.
Radon-222
Radon-222 (222Rn, Rn-222, historically radium emanation or radon) is the most stable isotope of radon, with a half-life of approximately 3.8 days.
S-process
The slow neutron-capture process, or s-process, is a series of reactions in nuclear astrophysics that occur in stars, particularly asymptotic giant branch stars.
Smoke detector
A smoke detector is a device that senses smoke, typically as an indicator of fire.
See Decay chain and Smoke detector
Spallation
Spallation is a process in which fragments of material (spall) are ejected from a body due to impact or stress.
See Decay chain and Spallation
Spontaneous fission
Spontaneous fission (SF) is a form of radioactive decay in which a heavy atomic nucleus splits into two or more lighter nuclei. Decay chain and Spontaneous fission are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Spontaneous fission
Stellar collision
A stellar collision is the coming together of two stars caused by stellar dynamics within a star cluster, or by the orbital decay of a binary star due to stellar mass loss or gravitational radiation, or by other mechanisms not yet well understood.
See Decay chain and Stellar collision
Superheavy element
Superheavy elements, also known as transactinide elements, transactinides, or super-heavy elements, or superheavies for short, are the chemical elements with atomic number greater than 103.
See Decay chain and Superheavy element
Thallium
Thallium is a chemical element; it has symbol Tl and atomic number 81.
Thorium
Thorium is a chemical element.
Thorium-232
Thorium-232 is the main naturally occurring isotope of thorium, with a relative abundance of 99.98%.
See Decay chain and Thorium-232
Uraninite
Uraninite, also known as pitchblende, is a radioactive, uranium-rich mineral and ore with a chemical composition that is largely UO2 but because of oxidation typically contains variable proportions of U3O8.
Uranium
Uranium is a chemical element; it has symbol U and atomic number 92.
Uranium-233
Uranium-233 (233U or U-233) is a fissile isotope of uranium that is bred from thorium-232 as part of the thorium fuel cycle.
See Decay chain and Uranium-233
Uranium-234
Uranium-234 (234U or U-234) is an isotope of uranium.
See Decay chain and Uranium-234
Uranium-235
Uranium-235 (235U or U-235) is an isotope of uranium making up about 0.72% of natural uranium.
See Decay chain and Uranium-235
Uranium-236
Uranium-236 (236U) is an isotope of uranium that is neither fissile with thermal neutrons, nor very good fertile material, but is generally considered a nuisance and long-lived radioactive waste.
See Decay chain and Uranium-236
Uranium-238
Uranium-238 (238U or U-238) is the most common isotope of uranium found in nature, with a relative abundance of 99%.
See Decay chain and Uranium-238
Uranium–lead dating
Uranium–lead dating, abbreviated U–Pb dating, is one of the oldest and most refined of the radiometric dating schemes.
See Decay chain and Uranium–lead dating
Valley of stability
In nuclear physics, the valley of stability (also called the belt of stability, nuclear valley, energy valley, or beta stability valley) is a characterization of the stability of nuclides to radioactivity based on their binding energy. Decay chain and valley of stability are radioactivity.
See Decay chain and Valley of stability
Wiley (publisher)
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley, is an American multinational publishing company that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials.
See Decay chain and Wiley (publisher)
X-ray
X-rays (or rarely, X-radiation) are a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation.
References
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decay_chain
Also known as Actinium Series, Decay chains, Decay family, Decay series, Disintegration chain, Disintegration family, Disintegration series, List of nuclear decay products, Neptunium Series, Neptunium decay series, Nuclear disintegration series, Parent isotope, Radioactive Series, Radioactive decay chain, Radioactive decay path, Radioactive decay series, Radioactive family, Radium series, Thorium Series, Uranium Series.
, Isotopes of radon, Isotopes of thallium, Isotopes of thorium, Isotopes of uranium, Lead, Modular arithmetic, National Nuclear Data Center, Natural nuclear fission reactor, Nature (journal), Neptunium, Nuclear fission product, Nuclear isomer, Nuclear physics, Plutonium-239, Plutonium-240, Plutonium-241, Plutonium-242, Plutonium-244, Poisson point process, Polonium, Polonium-210, Positron, Positron emission, Primordial nuclide, Protactinium, R-process, Radioactive decay, Radiometric dating, Radionuclide, Radium, Radium-223, Radium-226, Radon, Radon-222, S-process, Smoke detector, Spallation, Spontaneous fission, Stellar collision, Superheavy element, Thallium, Thorium, Thorium-232, Uraninite, Uranium, Uranium-233, Uranium-234, Uranium-235, Uranium-236, Uranium-238, Uranium–lead dating, Valley of stability, Wiley (publisher), X-ray.