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Argon-37 undergoes beta emission, what is the product produced from the balanced nuclear reaction?

User Pratap M
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Final answer:

Argon-37 undergoes beta emission to produce potassium-37; mass number remains 37, atomic number increases from 18 to 19.

Step-by-step explanation:

When argon-37 undergoes beta emission, a beta particle (an electron) is emitted from the nucleus, during which a neutron is transformed into a proton. This process conserves the mass number but increases the atomic number by 1. For argon-37, the mass number remains 37 (since the mass number doesn't change during beta decay), and the atomic number goes from 18 to 19. However, there seems to be a typo in the provided information, as it incorrectly uses mass number 35 and atomic number 16, which do not correspond to argon. The correct product, following the conservation of protons and neutrons, would be potassium-37 with an atomic number of 19 (18 + 1 due to the addition of a proton).

The element with atomic number 19 is potassium, and thus, the balanced nuclear equation for the beta decay of argon-37 is:
37Ar → 37K + β-

This equation shows the conversion of an argon-37 nucleus into a potassium-37 nucleus with the emission of a beta particle.

User Albie
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