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Which stable lead isotopes are the end products of uranium, thorium, and actinium decay series?
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isotope
An overview of isotopes.
The stable isotopes of lead that serve as the end products for the three natural radioactive decay series are as follows:
- Uranium series: The decay of uranium-238 concludes with the stable isotope lead-206.123
- Thorium series: The decay of thorium-232 concludes with the stable isotope lead-208.123
- Actinium series: The decay of uranium-235 (the parent of the actinium series) concludes with the stable isotope lead-207.123
These isotopes are the final, non-radioactive products reached after a sequence of alpha decay and beta decay processes within their respective radioactive series.2