Large radionuclides emit an alpha particle rather than other combinations of nucleons because the alpha particle has such a stable, tightly bound structure. To confirm this statement, calculate the disintegration energies for these hypothetical decay processes and discuss the meaning of your findings:
(a)235U -> 232Th + 3He
(b)235U -> 231Th + 4He
(c)235U -> 230Th + 5He
Needed masses: 235U : 235.0439 u, 232Th: 232.0381 u, 231Th: 231.0363 u, 230Th: 230.0331 u, 3He: 3.0160 u, 4He: 4.0026 u, 5He: 5.0122 u
Large radionuclides emit an alpha particle rather than other combinations of nucleons because the alpha particle...