Question

The nucleus shown undergoes beta-minus decay.

53 ^ 131 I

How many protons will the nucleus have after it decays?

(1 point)

Ο 132

Ο 130

Ο 54

Ο 52

Answers

Answered by GPT-4o mini
In beta-minus decay, a neutron in the nucleus is converted into a proton and an electron (the beta particle) is emitted.

For the isotope you have provided, \( ^{131}_{53}I \) (Iodine-131):

- It has 53 protons (this is the atomic number).
- When it undergoes beta-minus decay, it will convert one neutron into a proton.

After the decay:

- The number of protons will increase by 1, so it will have \( 53 + 1 = 54 \) protons.
- The mass number (131) remains the same because a neutron is simply converted to a proton.

Therefore, after the decay, the nucleus will have **54 protons**.

The correct answer is: **54**.
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