Nuclear equations?

Question

Write nuclear equations for the alpha decay of 210/84 Po and the beta decay of 14/6 C.

Answer 1

Alpha decay is the emission of a helium nucleus, 4/2 He. So you have 210/84 Po --> 206/82 ? + 4/2 He. You'll need to check the periodic table to find out what element corresponds to an atomic number of 82.

Beta decay is the emission of an electron. What happens is that a neutron turns into a proton, an electron, and a neutrino; the atomic number increases by one while the electron and the neutrino are both emitted. So you have 14/6 C --> 14/7 ? + e- + ve, where e- is the electron and ve is the neutrino. Again, you'll need to look up what element has an atomic number of 7.