Write the nuclear equation for the beta decay of iodine131So

Write the nuclear equation for the beta decay of iodine-131

Solution

Iodine 131 becomes xenon 131, the atomic mass remains the same but since the nature of the element changed the number of protons must have changed. In fact it increased by one.

In other words a neutron became a proton (mass remains the same, atomic number goes up by one) and a b particle was emitted.

I-131/53 ----> Xe-131/54 + beta particle