

The periodic table is a tabular display of the chemical elements organized on the basis of their atomic numbers, electron configurations, and chemical properties. It should be noted that all of these decay pathways may be accompanied by the subsequent emission of gamma radiation.

Many other rare types of decay, such as spontaneous fission or neutron emission are known. Unstable isotopes decay through various radioactive decay pathways, most commonly alpha decay, beta decay, or electron capture. If there are too many or too few neutrons for a given number of protons, the resulting nucleus is not stable and it undergoes radioactive decay. As a result, as the number of protons increases, an increasing ratio of neutrons to protons is needed to form a stable nucleus. Neutrons stabilize the nucleus, because they attract each other and protons, which helps offset the electrical repulsion between protons. There are only certain combinations of neutrons and protons, which forms stable nuclei. These two forces compete, leading to various stability of nuclei. The neutron has a mean square radius of about 0.8×10−15 m, or 0.8 fm, and it is a spin-½ fermion.Ītomic nuclei consist of protons and neutrons, which attract each other through the nuclear force, while protons repel each other via the electric force due to their positive charge. It has no electric charge and a rest mass equal to 1.67493 × 10−27 kg-marginally greater than that of the proton but nearly 1839 times greater than that of the electron. In the universe, neutrons are abundant, making up more than half of all visible matter.

133Cs is the most common isotope, having a natural abundance of approximately 100%.Ĭaesium-133 is composed of 55 protons, 78 neutrons, and 55 electrons.Ĭaesium-135 is composed of 55 protons, 80 neutrons, and 55 electrons.Ī neutron is one of the subatomic particles that make up matter. 135Cs is very slightly radioactive, decaying by beta decay with a half-life of 2.3×10 6 years and occurs only in traces. Main Isotopes of CaesiumĬaesium occurs in 2 natural isotopes: 133Cs and 135Cs. Mass numbers of typical isotopes of Caesium are 78. Isotopes are nuclides that have the same atomic number and are therefore the same element, but differ in the number of neutrons. The difference between the neutron number and the atomic number is known as the neutron excess: D = N – Z = A – 2Z.įor stable elements, there is usually a variety of stable isotopes. Neutron number plus atomic number equals atomic mass number: N+Z=A. The total number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom is called the neutron number of the atom and is given the symbol N. The total electrical charge of the nucleus is therefore +Ze, where e (elementary charge) equals to 1,602 x 10 -19 coulombs. Total number of protons in the nucleus is called the atomic number of the atom and is given the symbol Z. Caesium is a chemical element with atomic number 55 which means there are 55 protons in its nucleus.
