Problem: The isotope 21884Po can decay by either α or β−emission.What is the energy release in each case? The mass of 21884Po, 21482Pb, 42He and 21885At is 218.008973 u, 213.999798 u, 4.002603 u and 218.008681 u, respectively.Express your answers using three significant figures separated by a comma.MeV for units

FREE Expert Solution

The energy released in the decay:

$\boxed{\mathbf{E}\mathbf{=}\mathbf{m}{\mathbf{c}}^{\mathbf{2}}}$, where m is the mass and c is the speed of light in a vacuum. 

The reaction for α-decay can be expressed as:

$\boxed{{}_{\mathbf{84}}{}^{\mathbf{218}}\mathbf{P}\mathbf{o}\mathbf{\to }{}_{\mathbf{82}}{}^{\mathbf{214}}\mathbf{P}\mathbf{b}\mathbf{+}{}_{\mathbf{2}}{}^{\mathbf{4}}\mathbf{H}\mathbf{e}}$

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