Exploring Radioactive Decay

What happens during the decay of actinium-223?

Actinium-223 decays through the emission of an alpha particle. What is the resulting nucleus produced?

Answer:

When actinium-223 undergoes decay by emitting an alpha particle, the resulting nucleus is francium-219.

Actinium-223 is a radioactive isotope that undergoes decay by emitting an alpha particle. During alpha decay, an alpha particle, which consists of two protons and two neutrons (essentially a helium-4 nucleus), is ejected from the nucleus of the atom.

As a result of the decay of actinium-223, the nucleus transforms into francium-219. This new nucleus has an atomic number that is reduced by 2 compared to actinium-223. The atomic weight of francium-219 is also lower due to the loss of the alpha particle during the decay process.