Barium-137 emits a gamma ray from an excited state (¹³⁷Ba^* ).What is the resulting daughter nuclide?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The notation ¹³⁷Ba^* indicates that the Barium-137 nucleus is in an excited state, and the asterisk (*) indicates that it will decay by emitting a gamma ray. Gamma decay does not affect the identity or mass number of the nucleus, but only lowers its energy level. Therefore, the resulting daughter nuclide will be the same as the parent nuclide, Barium-137. Thus, the correct answer is B, ¹³⁷Ba.

Barium-137 Emits a Gamma Ray from an Excited State (137Ba*

Barium-137 Emits a Gamma Ray from an Excited State (¹³⁷Ba^*