Question

What type of radioactive decay will the isotopes 13B and 188Au most likely undergo?

Answer 1

Answer:

b. Beta emission, beta emission

Explanation:

A factor to consider when deciding whether a particular nuclide will undergo this or that type of radioactive decay is to consider its neutron:proton ratio (N/P).

Now let us look at the N/P ratio of each atom;

For B-13, there are 8 neutrons and five protons N/P ratio = 8/5 = 1.6

For Au-188 there are 109 neutrons and 79 protons N/P ratio = 109/79=1.4

For B-13, the N/P ratio lies beyond the belt of stability hence it undergoes beta emission to decrease its N/P ratio.

For Au-188, its N/P ratio also lies above the belt of stability which is 1:1 hence it also undergoes beta emission in order to attain a lower N/P ratio.