Abstract
Approximately 3000 nuclides have been discovered thus far, and most are unstable. Unstable nuclei decay by spontaneous fission, α-particle, β-particle, or γ-ray emission, or electron capture in order to achieve stability. The stability of a nuclide is governed by the structural arrangement and binding energy of the nucleons in the nucleus. One criterion of stability is the neutron-to-proton ratio (N/Z) of the stable nuclides; the radionuclides decay to achieve the N/Z of the nearest possible stable nuclide. Radioactive decay by particle emission or electron capture changes the atomic number of the radionuclide, whereas decay by γ-ray emission does not.
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Suggested Reading
Friedlander G, Kennedy JW, Miller JM. Nuclear and Radiochemistry. 3rd ed. New York: Wiley; 1981.
Sorensen JA, Phelps ME. Physics in Nuclear Medicine. 2nd ed. New York: Grune & Stratton; 1987.
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© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Saha, G.B. (1998). Radioactive Decay. In: Fundamentals of Nuclear Pharmacy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2934-4_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2934-4_2
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
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