What is the difference between artificial transmutation and radioactive decay?

What is the difference between artificial transmutation and radioactive decay?

Nuclear decay is a naturally occurring event. Artificial transmutation occurs when an existing element is collided with high speed particles to form another radioactive element. Artificial transmutation requires science and expensive equipment and is a human engineered process.

How does artificial transmutation differ from naturally occurring transmutation?

The key difference between natural and artificial transmutation is that natural transmutation is the radioactive decay that occurs in the core of stars. Whereas, artificial transmutation is the conversion of an element into another element artificially.

How does nuclear transmutation differ from radioactivity with examples?

Transmutation through radioactive decay is a natural process that occurs spontaneously. Transmutation through nuclear reactions does not have to be spontaneous and can be used in synthesis reactions to create new elements.

What is transmutation induced or artificial radioactivity?

In artificial transmutation, one element, which is a non-radioactive element, is converted into a final element by bombarding a fundamental particle through artificial means. While in artificial radioactivity, the radioactivity is induced in a stable element, and the whole process undergoes numerous nuclear reactions.

What is an example of artificial transmutation?

Examples of Artificial Transmutation Nitrogen can be transformed into oxygen by bombarding an alpha particle into the nucleus of nitrogen. An atom of hydrogen is produced as part of the transformation. Aluminum is transformed into phosphorous by combining the nucleus with an alpha particle.

What is artificial transmutation?

Artificial or induced transmutation occurs when atoms of one element are struck with particles in a linear accelerator, cyclotron, or synchrotron. With this process, some of the protons from the bombarding particles are lodged in the target nucleus, promoting the transmutation into a different element.

What is transmutation of elements?

Transmutation, conversion of one chemical element into another. A transmutation entails a change in the structure of atomic nuclei and hence may be induced by a nuclear reaction (q.v.), such as neutron capture, or occur spontaneously by radioactive decay, such as alpha decay and beta decay (qq. v.).

What is the difference between natural and artificial radioactivity?

Natural radioactivity is the process of radioactivity that takes place naturally whereas artificial radioactivity is the process of radioactivity that is induced by man-made methods. Furthermore, natural radioactivity is spontaneous while artificial radioactivity is non-spontaneous.