Understanding Alpha Decay
* Alpha Particle: An alpha particle is essentially a helium nucleus, consisting of 2 protons and 2 neutrons (written as ⁴₂He).
* Alpha Decay: In alpha decay, an unstable atom emits an alpha particle, transforming into a different atom with a lower atomic number and mass number.
Radium's Alpha Decay
* Radium-226 (²²⁶₈₈Ra): The most common isotope of radium is Radium-226, which has 88 protons and 138 neutrons.
* Alpha Decay Equation: The alpha decay of Radium-226 can be represented as:
²²⁶₈₈Ra → ⁴₂He + ²²²₈₆Rn
* New Identity: The new atom formed is Radon-222 (²²²₈₆Rn). Radon has 86 protons and 136 neutrons.
Key Observations
* The atomic number decreases by 2 (88 to 86).
* The mass number decreases by 4 (226 to 222).
Therefore, after emitting an alpha particle, a radium atom becomes a radon atom.
