What does potassium-40 turn into after experiencing radioactive decay?

1 Answer
Mar 24, 2018

It undergoes both types of beta decay.

Explanation:

Potassium-#40# is an interesting isotope of potassium, that can undergo both beta-plus and beta-minus decay.

It has an #89%# chance of undergoing beta-minus decay, turning into calcium-#40#, and the equation for that is:

#""_19^40K->""_20^40Ca+e^(-)+barv#, where #barv# is an antineutrino, and #e^-# is an electron.

Meanwhile, the remaining #11%# chance makes it undergo beta-plus decay, which turns it into argon-#40#, and that equation is:

#""_19^40K->""_18^40Ar+e^++v#, where #v# is a neutrino, and #e^+# is a positron.

Source:

http://www.radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Potassium_40.htm