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The decay of the radioisotope lodine-131 was studied in a laboratory. I-131 is known to decay by Beta emission. Recall, Beta emission is the release of a Beta particle (e") from the nucleus. a) Write a balanced nuclear equation for the decay of I-131.

User Jaumebonet
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The balanced nuclear equation for the decay of iodine-131 (I-131) through beta emission is I-131 --> Xe-131 + e-. This equation represents the conversion of a neutron in the I-131 nucleus into a proton, resulting in the formation of xenon-131 (Xe-131) and the emission of a beta particle (e-).

The balanced nuclear equation for the decay of I-131 through beta emission can be written as follows:

I-131 --> Xe-131 + e-

In this equation, I-131 represents iodine-131, Xe-131 represents xenon-131, and e- represents a beta particle or an electron.

During beta decay, an unstable nucleus undergoes a transformation where a neutron in the nucleus is converted into a proton, releasing a beta particle (e-) in the process. As a result, the atomic number of the nucleus increases by one while the mass number remains the same.

Iodine-131 (I-131) has 53 protons and 78 neutrons. In the decay process, a neutron in the I-131 nucleus is converted into a proton, resulting in xenon-131 (Xe-131), which has 54 protons and 77 neutrons. Additionally, a beta particle (e-) is emitted from the nucleus.

The balanced equation indicates that the sum of the atomic numbers on both sides is equal (53 = 54 + (-1)) and the sum of the mass numbers is also equal (131 = 131 + 0). This conservation of both mass number and atomic number ensures the equation is balanced.

User Hardian
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