Here's the breakdown:
* U-238 undergoes beta decay, meaning a neutron within its nucleus transforms into a proton, emitting an electron (beta particle) and an antineutrino. This changes the element from uranium to protactinium:
* U-238 → Pa-234 + e- + ν̄e
* Protactinium-234 (Pa-234) is unstable and undergoes beta decay as well, also emitting a gamma ray:
* Pa-234 → Th-234 + e- + ν̄e + γ
Therefore, the final daughter product after these two steps is thorium-234 (Th-234).
This is part of the naturally occurring radioactive decay chain of uranium-238, which continues through a series of alpha and beta decays until it reaches a stable lead isotope (Pb-206).
