Question

Enter a balanced nuclear equation for the production of lead-212, used in the treatment of some cancers, from the beta decay of thallium-212.

Answer 1

Answer:

$\frac{212}{81}Tl ------>\beta + \frac{212}{82}Pb$

Explanation:

Beta emission involves the conversion of a neutron to a proton, an electron and a neutrino. This leads to a reduction in the neutron-proton ratio.

During a beta emission, the mass number of the parent and daughter nuclei remain the same. The atomic number of the daughter nucleus increases by one unit above that of the parent nucleus as we can see from the equation.

Hence, the daughter nucleus is found one place after its parent in the periodic table.