Decay chain
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A decay chain, also called a radioactive series, is a sequence of nuclides in which each nuclide transforms into the next by radioactive decay until a stable nuclide is reached. There are three "classical" decay chains, which describe the decay of the naturally-occuring actinoids; a fourth long decay chain has become extinct in natural sources, but is known from artificially-produced radionuclides. Shorter decay chains describe the decay of the transfermium elements and lighter non-actinoid radionuclides.
Contents
Actinoid decay chains
Actinium (4n+3) series
| Uranium-235 (α, 7.04 × 108 a) | |
| Thorium-231 (β−, 25.52 h) | |
| Protactinium-231 (α, 3.276 × 104 a) | |
| Actinium-227 (21.772 a) | |
| α, 1.38% | β−, 98.62% |
| Francium-223 (22.00 min) |
Thorium-227 (α, 18.68 d) |
Notes and references
Notes
References
External links
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See also the corresponding article on Wikipedia. |
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