How do unstable isotopes become stable?
Most isotopes become stable by emitting alpha particles, beta particles, positrons, or gamma rays. A few become stable by electron capture or by spontaneous fission. GAMMA RAYS: It can release this excess energy by emitting gamma rays.
What happens if an atom is unstable?
An unstable atom has excess internal energy, with the result that the nucleus can undergo a spontaneous change towards a more stable form. This is called ‘radioactive decay’. If it decays with emission of an alpha or beta particle, it becomes a new element.
What particle makes an atom stable?
A stable atom has a net charge of 0. In other words, it has an equal number of protons and electrons. The positive protons cancel out the negative electrons. When the number of electrons does not equal the number of protons, the atom is ionized.
How do the unstable atoms of elements attain stability?
An element which does not have two or eight electrons in its valence shell is unstable. It get stability by losing, gaining or sharing electron to complete noble gas electronic configuration. Elements attain stability by completing duplet or octet.
Why is 8Be unstable?
What causes beryllium-8 to be unstable unlike other nuclides consisting from several alpha particles – from carbon-12 to calcium-40? – Quora. The simple answer is 8Be has less binding energy than 2 isolated 4He, but of course, that merely shifts the problem.
Which element is most unstable?
Francium is one of the most unstable of the naturally occurring elements: its longest-lived isotope, francium-223, has a half-life of only 22 minutes.
How can you tell if an isotope is unstable?
An unstable isotope emits some kind of radiation, that is it is radioactive. A stable isotope is one that does not emit radiation, or, if it does its half-life is too long to have been measured.
What is the most unstable atom?
A Curium atom (Cm) with 96 protons and 85 neutrons would be the most unstable atom.
How do atoms become stable?
For an atom to become totally stable, it needs to have a full outer shell. To do this, two or more atoms will share or give away electrons to each other in a process called bonding.
What is an unstable atom?
In simplest terms, an unstable atom (or unstable isotope) is simply an atom that has an imbalance of neutrons to protons. Protons and neutrons can only be put together in certain ways and remain stable in nature.
Why are atoms stable?
Atoms can be stable because the spreading out produced by quantum mechanics and the attraction produced by the potential balance out. In classical mechanics, an electron’s orbit around an atom is unstable because it emits the energy it would need to stay in orbit as light.
