Question (1 Viewer)

[香港!]

Strontium-90 is radioactive and is known to produce B(beta)-particles. Outline the process of the production of a B-particle from a 90Sr(that's 90 on top left of the Sr) atom.

 

[richz]

o sorry, i understand it now, well strontium 89 is bombarded with a neutron turning it into Sr 90, this then undergoes beta decay forming Y 90 and an anti nuetrino

 

[serge]

in the HSC (tomorrow)
they cant ask you about a specific isotope can they?
unless they let you make your own choice, right?

 

[香港!]

I have the marking criteria here.. it says
"Outlines the decay of a neutron into a proton and an electron and writes a correct balanced equation (anti neutrino optional)."

lol

 

[richz]

lol, i dont understand it.... do u know how to rite the eqn?

if not here: 90Sr -> -1e + 90Y

 

[香港!]

^ yeah that's the right equation, i just dun get wtf dey are saying in the marking criteria...
to me it's weird question lolz

 

[Captain Gh3y]

Strontium-90 is radioactive and is known to produce B(beta)-particles. Outline the process of the production of a B-particle from a 90Sr(that's 90 on top left of the Sr) atom.

It's just writing the equation; you even get a shiny new periodic table to help:

⁹⁰₃₈Sr --> ⁹⁰₃₉Y + ⁰_-1e + v + γ

That v should have a dash over the top of it, because it's an anti-neutrino.

"The Strontium has too many neutrons and is unstable, hence it undergoes beta decay, where a neutron decays into a proton and electron, releasing the electron as a beta particle along with an anti-neutrino. The nucleus remaining is now yttrium-90."

 

[香港!]

but how do u "Outline the process..." what do u say?

 

[richz]

no u need to have an explantion, i did that trial too. it was worth 2 marks, one for the eqn and another for the explantion and i dont understand it either, captian, read the marking scheme do u under stand it?

 

[Captain Gh3y]

I added the explanation.

 

[香港!]

oh so definition of this "Beta Decay" is when a neutron decays into a proton and an electron??

 

[Captain Gh3y]

Well... That's beta-negative decay, yes.

There's also beta-positive decay, where a proton turns into a neutron and releases a positron and a neutrino.

But I'm about 90% sure they can only ask us about beta negative decay.

 

[香港!]

ok ty people

 

[KFunk]

If you wanted to go slightly over the top with the explanation you can say that a weak force interaction resulted in a down quark becoming an up quark (turning a neutron into a proton). In order to conserve charge an electron is released from the nucleus along with an anti-neutrino (in order to conserve lepton number).