Positron emission and electron capture both give a product nucleu...

Question

Positron emission and electron capture both give a product nucleus whose atomic number is 1 less than the starting nucleus. Explain.

Accepted Answer

Understand that both positron emission and electron capture are types of nuclear reactions that involve changes in the nucleus of an atom, specifically affecting the protons and neutrons within the nucleus.. Recognize that a positron is the antimatter counterpart of an electron, having the same mass but a positive charge. In positron emission, a proton in the nucleus is transformed into a neutron, releasing a positron and a neutrino. This process decreases the atomic number by 1 because the proton count decreases by one.. Identify that in electron capture, an electron from the atom's inner shell is captured by the nucleus where it combines with a proton to form a neutron and emits a neutrino. Similar to positron emission, this process reduces the atomic number by 1 due to the conversion of a proton into a neutron.. Note that in both processes, the mass number (total number of protons and neutrons) of the nucleus remains the same, but the atomic number (number of protons) decreases by one. This results in the formation of a new element that is one position left on the periodic table from the original element.. Conclude that the key similarity in both positron emission and electron capture is the transformation of a proton into a neutron, leading to a decrease in the atomic number by one, thus forming a new element with similar mass but different chemical properties.

Positron emission and electron capture both give a product nucleus whose atomic number is 1 less than the starting nucleus. Explain.

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Key Concepts

Nuclear Reactions

Positron Emission

Electron Capture