Parent Nuclide Definition in Physics

Iodine-131 radioisotope
Iodine-131 is the parent nuclide of xenon-131.

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By
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
  • B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
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Updated on January 14, 2020

A parent nuclide is a nuclide that decays into a specific daughter nuclide during radioactive decay. A parent nuclide is also known as a parent isotope.

Examples

Na-22 decays into Ne-22 by β+ decay. Na-22 is the parent nuclide and Ne-22 is the daughter nuclide. As another example, tellurium-131 is the parent nuclide, which undergoes beta decay to yield the daughter nuclide iodine-131. Iodine-131, in turn, is the parent nuclide of xenon-131.

Sources

  • Peh, W. C. G. (1996). "The Discovery of Radioactivity and Radium." Singapore Medical Journal. 37 (6): 627–630. 
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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Parent Nuclide Definition in Physics." ThoughtCo, Jul. 29, 2021, thoughtco.com/definition-of-parent-nuclide-605477. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2021, July 29). Parent Nuclide Definition in Physics. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-parent-nuclide-605477 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Parent Nuclide Definition in Physics." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-parent-nuclide-605477 (accessed May 23, 2022).