- #1
k5.user
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I understand half-lives, how various atoms decay through the various types of emissions (alpha, beta, gamma, etc).
It's easy to do the math (or read the decay chain) for various things to see what the end-stable result if (eg U-238 and 235 decay to a thorium isotope, eventually to lead).
However, what happens when the decay involves a moluecule ? eg uranium hexa-flouride (UF6), does that become ThF6 when a decay event happens ? Or say NaI with I-129, where the iodine decays into xenon. Surely you don't get NaXe ?
I wonder if an ionic molecule like NaI would be different from a non-ionic like UF6 based on the bonds.
I dug out my old Oxtoby & Nash textbook and it only covers single atom/element decay, and various searches on google and wiki don't answer this side of nuclear decay (though I may be using the wrong terms). Also searched the archives here, but again may be using the wrong terms.
It's easy to do the math (or read the decay chain) for various things to see what the end-stable result if (eg U-238 and 235 decay to a thorium isotope, eventually to lead).
However, what happens when the decay involves a moluecule ? eg uranium hexa-flouride (UF6), does that become ThF6 when a decay event happens ? Or say NaI with I-129, where the iodine decays into xenon. Surely you don't get NaXe ?
I wonder if an ionic molecule like NaI would be different from a non-ionic like UF6 based on the bonds.
I dug out my old Oxtoby & Nash textbook and it only covers single atom/element decay, and various searches on google and wiki don't answer this side of nuclear decay (though I may be using the wrong terms). Also searched the archives here, but again may be using the wrong terms.