Isotope of Beryllium
J.D. Martin
Facts
Known Isotopes: 9
Main Isotope Name: beryllium-9
Isotope Chemical Symbol:
Atomic Number: 4
Atomic Mass: 9.012
# Protons: 4
# Electrons: 4
# Neutrons: 5
Equation for the alpha decay:
Equation for the beta decay:
Equation for the gamma decay:
Who discovered this: Rene Huay & Nicolas Louis Vauquelin
More Facts
Physical Properties:
- Beryllium is light, silver-gray, and relatively soft.
- Beryllium is strong but brittle.
Uses:
- Beryllium is used as an alloy with copper to make spark-proof tools.
- Beryllium is used in radiation windows for x-ray tubes.
Interesting Facts:
- Beryllium has the highest melting point of the light metals at 1278°C.
- Under normal conditions, a thin layer of the hard oxide BeO forms on beryllium's surface , protecting the metal from further attack by water and air.
What is radioactive decay?
the process by which a nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing radiation
Alpha decay
an atomic nucleus emits an alpha particle and thereby transforms into atom with the mass number 4 less and the atomic number 2 less
Beta decay
a proton is transformed into a neutron, or vice versa, inside an atomic nucleus
Gamma decay
the daughter nucleus that results is left in an excited state