In a radioactive decay series similar to that shown in the drawing, thorium 90Th

Question

In a radioactive decay series similar to that shown in the drawing, thorium 90Th228 (atomic mass = 228.028715 u) undergoes four successive alpha decays, producing a daughter nucleus. Determine (a) Z and (b) A for the nucleus produced by four successive alpha decays of 90Th228. (c) What is the total amount of energy (in MeV) released in this series of alpha decays? The mass of the daughter nucleus can be obtained by using the results of parts (a) and (b) and consulting Appendix F at the back of the book. The mass of a single ? particle is 4.002603 u.

Explanation / Answer

the alpha decay energy is 5.245 MeV Pu 239 decays ti U 235 to calculate this: from the chart of the nuclides mass of Pu 239 nucleus 239.0521565 atomic mass units (amu) minus mass of U235 235.0439231 amu minus mass of alpha 4.0026 amu leaves 0.0056334 amu converting mass to energy --- there are 931 MeV in each amu, so 5.2446954 MeV is the energy of the alpha

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