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Question

Question: What is the nuclear equation for Bismuth-214 which undergoes beta decay?...

What is the nuclear equation for Bismuth-214 which undergoes beta decay?

Explanation

Solution

During the beta-decay, mass number remains the same as neutron gets converted into the proton but atomic number increases by one with the release of an electron. Now with the help of this you can easily answer the given .

Complete answer:
First of let’s discuss the Bismuth. Bismuth is a metal which belongs to the nitrogen family and comes under the category of the p-block elements. It has the atomic number as 83 and mass number as 208.98 . it is denoted by the symbol as Bi.
Bismuth is greyish-whitish in color which gives red color tinge and is hard, brittle and shiny in appearance.
Now, let’s discuss what is Beta -decay. During the beta-decay, a beta particle is emitted from the nucleus of the atom along with the antineutrino. It occurs when the nucleus of the atom has either excess neutrons or protons and, thus, they get interconverted into each other.
Now considering the statement as;
During the beta decay of Bismuth-214, an isotope of bismuth, a neutron is transformed into the proton and the atomic number increases by one giving the isotope of polonium and an electron is also released along with it to maintain the neutrality of the atom as;-
83214Bi84214Po+10e_{83}^{214}Bi\to _{84}^{214}Po+_{-1}^{0}e
Thus, this is the nuclear equation for Bismuth-214 which undergoes beta decay.

Note:
Always remember that the beta decay takes place due to the unstable nuclei of the atom which may either be because of the excess of protons or neutrons. So, as to become stable the nucleus emits beta particles which can be either an electron or positron.