The nucleus 2310Ne decays by β– emission. Write down the β-decay equation and determine the maximum kinetic energy of the electrons emitted. Given that:
m (2310Ne) = 22.994466 u
m (2311Ne) = 22.089770 u.
For β- decay,the number of proton increases by 1.The reaction is given as:
Here the electron masses gets cancelled as Na has one more electron than Ne hence,
Q = (22.994466-22.089770)u × c2
= 0.00469 × 931.5 MeV
= 4.37 MeV
The maximum k.E of the emitted electrons are comparable to the Q value; Hence the maximum K.E of the electrons emitted will be = 4.37 MeV