Question

What is the difference between a beta particle and a k-electron capture in a nuclear reaction? If they both have the same symbol, how can you tell when to differentiate when solving an equation?

Answer 1

A beta particle comes from beta decay of which there are three types - electron emission, positron emission, and k-electron capture.

In electron emission, a neutron decays into a proton and ejects an electron. \[n → p + \beta^- + ν_e \]In positron emission, a proton decays into a neutron and a positron \[p → n + \beta^+ + ν_e\]In k-electron capture, an electron is captured by the proton, making a neutron \[p+\beta^-\rightarrow n+v_e\]