The daughter isotope : Radon-222 (Rn-222).
Further explanation
Given
Radium (Ra-226) undergoes an alpha decay
Required
The daughter nuclide
Solution
Radioactivity is the process of unstable isotopes to stable isotopes by decay, by emitting certain particles,
- alpha α particles ₂He⁴
- beta β ₋₁e⁰ particles
- gamma particles ₀γ⁰
- positron particles ₁e⁰
- neutron ₀n¹
The decay reaction uses the principle: the sum of the atomic number and mass number before and after decay are the same
Radium (Ra-226) : ₈₈²²⁶Ra
Alpha particles : ₂⁴He
So Radon-226 emits alpha α particles ₂He⁴ , so the atomic number decreases by 2, mass number decreases by 4
The reaction :
₈₈²²⁶Ra ⇒ ₂⁴He + ₈₆²²²Rn
