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Beta Decay
Concepts tested here
- Origin of beta particles
All Questions
2007 AIPMT-PRE 1 question
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In a radioactive decay process, the negatively charged emitted $\beta$-particles areA nucleus contains only protons and neutrons; there are no electrons present inside the nucleus.
In beta minus decay ($\beta^-$), a neutron inside the nucleus is transformed into a proton, and an electron is emitted from the nucleus along with an antineutrino.
$n \rightarrow p + e^- + \bar{\nu}$
The electron is created at the instant of the decay and is ejected immediately; this emitted electron is the $\beta^-$ particle.
As a result the atomic number increases by one while the mass number remains the same.
The orbital electrons and collisions between atoms have nothing to do with this nuclear process.
So the $\beta$-particles are the electrons produced as a result of the decay of neutrons inside the nucleus.