Why Is Carbon-13 Stable? Both 12C and 13C are called stable isotopes since they do not decay into other forms or elements over time. The rare carbon-14 (14C) isotope contains eight neutrons in its nucleus. Unlike 12C and 13C, this isotope is unstable, or radioactive. Why is c13 stable? For example, carbon has six protons
Why Larger Nuclei Are Unstable? In heavy nuclei, the Coulomb energy of proton repulsion becomes very significant and this makes the nuclei unstable. It turns out that it is energetically more profitable for a nucleus to throw out a stable system of four particles, i.e., an alpha particle, than individual nucleons. Why are small nuclei
What Force Holds Nucleons Together In A Nucleus? Nuclear forces (also known as nuclear interactions or strong forces) are the forces that act between two or more nucleons. They bind protons and neutrons (“nucleons”) into atomic nuclei. The nuclear force is about 10 millions times stronger than the chemical binding that holds atoms together in
What Is A Stable Proton To Neutron Ratio? Their stability is determined by the ratio of the number of neutrons to the number of protons in the nucleus. At low atomic masses, the stable ratio is approximately 1:1. At about an atomic mass number of 20 this starts to increase until it is around 1.5:1
Why Heavy Nuclei Are Unstable? Heavy nuclie are unstable due to large repulsive forces between large number of protons in the nucleus. Why is a heavy nucleus unstable? The presence of too many protons and neutrons in heavier nuclei will upset the balance and binding energy of nuclear force, which make the nucleus unstable. Such