Question

An isotope of potassium with a half-life of roughly one billion years is often used in radioactive dating. This isotope decays through electron capture, the process of drawing an electron into the nucleus. What is the chemical symbol for the element that results from this process? The equation for the reaction is 4019K+ 0−1e→?. Express your answer as a chemical symbol (e.g., Na for sodium).

Answer 1

Answer : The chemical symbol for the element that results from this process is, (Ar) for argon.

Explanation :

Electron capture : In this decay process, a parent nuclei absorbs an electron and gets converted into a neutron. Simply, a proton and an electron combines together to form a neutron. Mass number does not change in this process.

$_Z^A\textrm{X}+_{-1}^0\textrm{e}\rightarrow _{Z-1}^A\textrm{Y}$

The equation for the given reaction is,

$_{19}^{40}\textrm{K}+_{-1}^0\textrm{e}\rightarrow _{18}^{40}\textrm{Ar}$

Thus, the chemical symbol for the element that results from this process is, argon (Ar).