Question

Does beta decay create ions?

I have done lots of equations and all of them end up saying that beta decay creates either a cation of an anion is this correct?

Answer 1

No, it doesn’t. Beta decay is a nuclear reaction, not an electronic one.

Explanation:

Beta decay (more precisely beta-minus, `beta^-`, decay) is the effect caused by a neutron “splitting” into a proton, an electron and an anti-neutrino.

There is no effect on the orbiting electrons, though the beta particle emitted may cause the production of ions in other atoms (it is ionising radiation.)