Electron Capture
Another type of nuclear decay reaction is electron capture. The electrons involved in electron capture come from an atom's
own electron cloud. It is like an electron crashes into the nucleus and causes a decay reaction. For example:
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| 81 |
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0 |
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81 |
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Rb |
+ |
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e |
→ |
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Kr |
| 37 |
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-1 |
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36 |
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Electron capture is the last type of naturally occuring decay that we will study. However, people have long sought to be able to change the nucleus. The alchemists tried to convert cheap metals like lead into gold. It was not until the 20th century that people actually suceeded, as we will see next.
