Question

Cobalt-53 (Co) is unusual because it decays by emitting a proton. What is the resulting element that remains after cobalt has undergone this unusual form of decay? Again, express your answer in the Co-53 format.

Answer

Answer 1

cobalt has an atomic number of 27. hence it has 27 protons. By emitting one proton, it has 26 protons and effectively becomes iron. It is Cobalt-53 since it is an isotope of Cobalt. So, by removing 1 proton, you will still have the same number of neutrons. hence the atomic weight of the resulting iron isotope is 52. Thus, the answer would be Iron-52

Answer 2

Fe-52 I mean