Final answer:
52Mn undergoes radioactive decay to 52Cr through positron emission, where a proton is converted to a neutron while a positron is emitted, maintaining the mass number and reducing the atomic number by one.
Step-by-step explanation:
The radioactive decay of 52Mn to 52Cr occurs by a process known as positron emission (also known as ß+ decay or beta plus decay). This process occurs when a proton in the nucleus is converted into a neutron with the emission of a positron. It is one of the common modes of nuclear decay for nuclides with low neutron-to-proton ratios. The equation for this reaction is:
52Mn → 52Cr + e+
In this reaction, a positron is emitted, and the atomic number decreases by one, but the mass number remains the same. This is consistent with the nuclear decay of nuclides such as Mn-51 and Fe-55, as discussed in the provided references. Positron emission is an alternative to electron capture (EC) for the transformation of a proton into a neutron. Both processes decrease the atomic number by one and do not alter the mass number.