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i realize there have been questions on this in the past but none of the replies seem to answer the true essence of the question, and that is the part i am confused with.
beta decay is the splitting of a neutron into a proton and either an electron or positron. thus, there should be no debate as to what happens to the mass and atomic number. mass number stays the same and atomic number increases by one
HOWEVER, the issue lies in the identify of the element depending upon whether an electron or position is ejected. my questions are...
if an electron is ejected, why wouldnt the new atom be an ion? you are increasing the number of protons but keeping the number of electrons the same
Secondly, if a positron is emitted, what is the consequence? i'm a little unclear and would appreciate some clarification.
thanks
beta decay is the splitting of a neutron into a proton and either an electron or positron. thus, there should be no debate as to what happens to the mass and atomic number. mass number stays the same and atomic number increases by one
HOWEVER, the issue lies in the identify of the element depending upon whether an electron or position is ejected. my questions are...
if an electron is ejected, why wouldnt the new atom be an ion? you are increasing the number of protons but keeping the number of electrons the same
Secondly, if a positron is emitted, what is the consequence? i'm a little unclear and would appreciate some clarification.
thanks