NEET 2021 Question Paper with Answers (O1)

# Q1 of 200

A radioactive nucleus  A Z X undergoes spontaneous decay in the sequence

A Z X Z 1 B Z 3 B Z 2 D , where Z is the atomic number of element X. The possible decay particles in the sequence are :

Options
A.

β+, α, β

B.

β, α, β+

C.

α, β, β+

D.

α, β+, β

Show Answer
Correct Answer

β+, α, β

Solution

The correct option is β+, α, β.

Let's analyze the given radioactive decay sequence step-by-step to identify the emitted particles. Let the initial nucleus be represented as:
X Z A where A is the mass number and Z is the atomic number.

Step 1: First Decay
The first transition is from element X with atomic number Z to element B with atomic number Z - 1:
X Z A B Z - 1 A 1 + particle
Here, the atomic number decreases by 1 (from Z to Z - 1). This decrease in atomic number by 1 corresponds to positron emission, also known as beta-plus decay (β+), where a proton turns into a neutron, emitting a positron (e+10) and a neutrino. Therefore, the first decay particle is β+.

Step 2: Second Decay
The second transition is from element B with atomic number Z - 1 to another state or isotope of element B (or another element) with atomic number Z - 3:
B Z - 1 A 1 C Z - 3 A 2 + particle
Here, the atomic number decreases by 2 (from Z - 1 to Z - 3). A decrease in the atomic number by 2 is characteristic of alpha decay (α), in which an alpha particle (He24) is emitted. Therefore, the second decay particle is α.

Step 3: Third Decay
The third transition is to element D with atomic number Z - 2:
C Z - 3 A 2 D Z - 2 A 3 + particle
Here, the atomic number increases by 1 (from Z - 3 to Z - 2). An increase in the atomic number by 1 is characteristic of beta-minus decay (β), where a neutron decays into a proton, emitting an electron (e-10) and an antineutrino. Therefore, the third decay particle is β.

Combining the results of the three steps, the sequence of emitted decay particles is β+, α, β.

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