draslík40

Draslík40, also known as potassium-40, is a naturally occurring radioactive isotope of potassium. It has a very long half-life of approximately 1.25 billion years. Potassium-40 is the only naturally occurring radioactive isotope of potassium. It is ubiquitous in the environment, found in soil, rocks, water, and living organisms. Humans also contain a small but measurable amount of potassium-40, contributing to the natural background radiation dose received by everyone. The decay of potassium-40 can occur through two primary pathways: beta decay and electron capture. Beta decay transforms potassium-40 into a stable isotope of calcium, calcium-40. Electron capture converts potassium-40 into a stable isotope of argon, argon-40. A small fraction of potassium-40 decays via positron emission, producing argon-40 as well. The presence of potassium-40 is significant in various scientific fields, including geochronology for dating ancient rocks and archaeological artifacts. Its constant decay rate allows for the estimation of geological timescales. While radioactive, the contribution of potassium-40 to the overall radiation exposure for most individuals is relatively low compared to other sources of natural background radiation.