If electrons can't be confined to the nucleus, why does K-electron capture occur?

K electron capture does not means that the electrons are being confined into nucleus. This is the process in which an elecron combines with a proton to neutralize the charge and the combination results in formation of a nucleon with a net zero chare and unit mass, known as nutron.The capture of s electrons by a proton take placewithin an unstable, neutron-rich nucleus. Usually s the 1s electron are captured by the nucleus that are captured. This created a vacancy in the 1^storbital and an electron from higher shells comed down into this shell to fill the vacancy and during this transition x- rays are emmited.

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Sumit Kumar

askIITians Faculty