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Monoisotopic elements are characterized, except in one case, by odd numbers of protons (odd Z), and even numbers of neutrons. Because of the energy gain from nuclear pairing, the odd number of protons imparts instability to isotopes of an odd Z , which in heavier elements requires a completely paired set of neutrons to offset this tendency into ...
The number of protons (Z column) and number of neutrons (N column). energy column The column labeled "energy" denotes the energy equivalent of the mass of a neutron minus the mass per nucleon of this nuclide (so all nuclides get a positive value) in MeV, formally: m n − m nuclide / A, where A = Z + N is the mass number. Note that this means ...
The number of decays that will occur in one second in one gram of atoms of a particular radionuclide is known as the specific activity of that radionuclide. The activity of a sample decreases with time because of decay. The rules of radioactive decay may be used to convert activity to an actual number of atoms. They state that 1 Ci of ...
The unit of activity is the becquerel (symbol Bq), which is defined equivalent to reciprocal seconds (symbol s-1). The older, non-SI unit of activity is the curie (Ci), which is 3.7 × 10 10 radioactive decays per second. Another unit of activity is the rutherford, which is defined as 1 × 10 6 radioactive decays per second.
The mass number is different for each isotope of a given chemical element, and the difference between the mass number and the atomic number Z gives the number of neutrons (N) in the nucleus: N = A − Z. [2] The mass number is written either after the element name or as a superscript to the left of an element's symbol.
The decay scheme of a radioactive substance is a graphical presentation of all the transitions occurring in a decay, and of their relationships. Examples are shown below. It is useful to think of the decay scheme as placed in a coordinate system, where the vertical axis is energy, increasing from bottom to top, and the horizontal axis is the proton number, increasing from left to right.
A synthetic, radioactive element, curium is a hard, dense metal with a silvery-white appearance and physical and chemical properties resembling gadolinium. Its melting point of 1344 °C is significantly higher than that of the previous elements neptunium (637 °C), plutonium (639 °C) and americium (1176 °C).
Chemical elements are defined by their number of protons, but the mass of the atom is determined by the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. Isotopes are atoms that are of a specific element, but have different numbers of neutrons and thus different mass numbers. The ratio between isotopes of an element varies slightly in the world ...