# Question #b30c9

Jun 30, 2017

The resulting isotope is chlorine-35.

#### Explanation:

Your goal here is to complete the nuclear equation given to you by using the fact that the radioactive nuclide undergoes a beta minus decay.

As you know, when a beta minus decay, more commonly called beta decay, a neutron located inside the nucleus of a radioactive nuclide is being converted to a proton.

At the same time, an electron, also called beta particle, and an electron antineutrino are being emitted from the nucleus.

$\text{_ 16^35"S" -> ""_ Z^A"?" + ""_ (-1)^(color(white)(-)0)"e" + bar(nu)_ "e}$

Now, in a nuclear reaction, mass and charge are conserved. This means that you will have

$35 = A + 0 \to$ conservation of mass

$16 = Z + \left(- 1\right) \to$ conservation of charge

You can thus say that

$A = 35 \text{ }$ and $\text{ } Z = 17$

Grab a Peridoc Table and look for the element that has an atomic number, i.e. $Z$, equal to $17$. You'll find that you're dealing with chlorine, $\text{Cl}$.

The resulting isotope is chlorine-35, which means that the balanced nuclear equation that describes the beta minus decay of sulfur-35 looks like this

$\text{_ 16^35"S" -> ""_ 17^35"Cl" + ""_ (-1)^(color(white)(-)0)"e" + bar(nu)_ "e}$