decay chain

English
The decay chain of uranium-238. The end result is stable lead-206.

Noun

decay chain (plural decay chains)

  1. (nuclear physics) A series of nuclides, such that one nuclide radioactively decays into another, which decays into another, and so on, until a stable nuclide is reached. For example, uranium-238 must undergo eight alpha decays and six beta decays in order to become stable lead-206; intermediate nuclides include uranium-234, radium-226, and radon-222.

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